Updated

Updated · KTAR.com · Nov 13

Sandbox VR Opens 2nd Arizona Venue in Downtown Phoenix, Adding Stranger Things Experience

Updated

Updated · KTAR.com · Nov 13

Sandbox VR Opens 2nd Arizona Venue in Downtown Phoenix, Adding Stranger Things Experience

Q: How does Sandbox VR transform violent shows like Squid Game into family-friendly virtual group adventures?

Sandbox VR makes “Squid Game” family-friendly by stripping out the show’s graphic violence and dark plot, and rebuilding it as a social, challenge-based group game. In Sandbox VR’s version, players compete in mini-games inspired by the series, such as “Red Light, Green Light,” with the focus on reflexes, coordination and teamwork rather than death, gore or trauma. That shift is reinforced by the format. Groups of two to six play together in private “holodecks,” wearing headsets, wrist and ankle trackers, and haptic vests that let them move through the space and see one another as avatars. The result is closer to an active team outing or birthday-party attraction than a violent survival drama. Company materials and outside reviews describe “Squid Game Virtuals” as deliberately accessible: no gaming experience is required, staff handle the setup, and the experience is designed for families, friends and corporate groups. One family review cited in related coverage said the game was “far more family friendly than the show” and centered on recognizable challenges rather than the series’ intense storyline. Sandbox VR also packages the experience as mainstream entertainment, with private event rooms, party bookings and souvenir highlight videos sent afterward. That framing matters: instead of asking guests to relive the brutality of the Netflix series, it invites them to step into a recognizable world in a way that is competitive, immersive and safe for broader audiences.

2 articles · Updated · KTAR.com · Nov 13

CityScape gained a new Sandbox VR venue Friday, bringing a “Stranger Things” experience to downtown Phoenix as the company opened its second permanent Arizona location.
Players explore Hawkins using headsets, haptic vests and wrist-and-ankle motion sensors that let groups interact with one another inside the game.
Sandbox VR also offers Netflix-linked titles including “Squid Game” and “Rebel Moon,” while franchise operators Andrew Perkinson and Tylor Hardy said they left real estate careers to launch the Phoenix site.
A third Valley location is planned for Desert Ridge, extending a local footprint that already includes Gilbert’s SanTan Village and adding to CityScape’s recent push into entertainment after The Escape Game opened there in October.