Company:Sandbox VR

From HandWiki
Sandbox VR
TypePrivate
IndustryLocation-based entertainment
Virtual reality
Founded2016 (2016)
FounderSteve Zhao
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
,
United States
Number of locations
80+ (2026)
ProductsLocation-based VR experiences
Websitesandboxvr.com

Sandbox VR is a location-based virtual reality entertainment company founded by Steve Zhao in 2016. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional offices in Hong Kong and Vancouver, the company operates multiplayer VR experiences at physical venues.

History

Sandbox VR was founded in 2016 by Steve Zhao in Hong Kong.[1] The company initially operated under the name Glostation before rebranding to Sandbox VR.[2] Zhao had previously founded and operated Blue Tea Games.[3][4]

Sandbox VR's first location opened in Hong Kong in June 2017.[1] In late 2017, the company secured $3 million in seed funding led by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund.[1]

In January 2019, Sandbox VR announced a $68 million Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Floodgate, Stanford University, TriplePoint Capital, CRCM, Shrug Capital, and Alibaba Group.[5][6] This represented Andreessen Horowitz's first VR investment since backing Oculus VR approximately five years earlier.[5]

In November 2021, Sandbox VR raised a $37 million Series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz's Growth Fund, along with Alibaba and Craft Ventures.[7] The company reported that revenue had increased 20-fold following the reopening of locations in April 2021 compared to earlier in the year.[7]

As of October 2021, Sandbox VR had 35 employees globally and operated 12 retail locations in the U.S., Canada, and Asia.[7] By June 2024, Sandbox VR had opened its 48th location, with the company reporting over 100,000 players monthly.[8]

Sandbox VR generated $75 million in sales in 2024 from over 1.4 million players.[9] The company averaged 117,000 monthly players in 2024 and projected 150,000 monthly players for 2025.[9]

In January 2026, the company announced plans to open approximately 200 franchise locations before the end of 2027.[10] In March 2026, Sandbox VR announced it had surpassed $300 million in lifetime revenue.[11]

Technology and experience

Sandbox VR's experiences utilize full-body motion capture technology that tracks players' movements.[12] Players wear VR headsets, haptic vests that provide physical feedback, motion sensors on their wrists and ankles, and PC backpacks.[13] The technology captures full-body movements to render avatars in the virtual environment.[14]

Experiences are designed for groups of 2-6 players and typically last approximately 30 minutes. Pricing starts at approximately $39 per person.[15][2][14]

The company's venues feature multiple private rooms, called "holodecks," for virtual reality gameplay.[16][17] Each holodeck is equipped with motion-tracking cameras and sensors.[18] The system generates an automated highlight video that combines real-world footage of players with in-game footage, which can be shared on social media.[2]

Content and partnerships

Original content

All Sandbox VR experiences are developed by in-house studios located in Hong Kong and Vancouver.[19]

Notable original titles include Deadwood Mansion, Deadwood Valley, Deadwood PHOBIA, Curse of Davy Jones, Amber Sky 2088,[20][21] Age of Dinosaurs,[22][23] Unbound Fighting League (UFL) and Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire.[24]

Netflix collaborations

In 2023, Sandbox VR entered into a partnership with Netflix to create VR experiences based on its properties, including Squid Game Virtuals, which is based on the Netflix original Korean series Squid Game.[25][26] Since its release in 2023, Squid Game Virtuals has generated $50 million in lifetime sales.[11] In 2025, the company partnered with Netflix again to develop the VR experiences Stranger Things: Catalyst[27][28] and Rebel Moon: The Descent, based on Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon.[29]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chen, Saheli Roy (July 26, 2019). "How Sandbox VR became a virtual reality gaming sensation". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/26/how-sandbox-vr-became-a-virtual-reality-gaming-sensation.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "This VR startup impressed Andreessen Horowitz so much that the VC firm flew back from Vegas to hammer out a $68 million deal at In-N-Out". Business Insider. January 28, 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com/sandbox-vr-raises-68-million-series-a-from-andreessen-horowitz-2019-1. 
  3. ↑ Fink, Charlie. "Sandbox VR Free Roam LBVR Opens In LA, NY, SF" (in en). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2018/08/27/sandbox-vr-free-roam-lbvr-opens-in-la-ny-sf/. 
  4. ↑ "Interview with Steven Zhao, Blue Tea Games - Gamezebo" (in en-US). Gamezebo. 2007-09-19. http://www.gamezebo.com/2007/09/19/interview-steven-zhao-blue-tea-games/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Matney, Lucas (January 28, 2019). "5 years after its Oculus investment, a16z leads a new VR startup's $68M Series A". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/28/5-years-after-its-oculus-investment-a16z-leads-a-new-vr-startups-68m-series-a/. 
  6. ↑ Spangler, Todd (January 28, 2019). "Sandbox VR Scores $68 Million Funding to Expand Holodeck-Style Virtual Reality Gaming Business". Variety. https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/sandbox-vr-68-million-funding-1203120501/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Liao, Rita (November 10, 2021). "Sandbox VR expands to new locations globally with $37M Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/10/sandbox-vr-expands-to-new-locations-globally-with-37m-series-b-led-by-andreessen-horowitz/. 
  8. ↑ "Sandbox VR Opens Newest Location in Culver City" (in en-US). 2024-06-20. https://www.latimes.com/b2bpublishing/business-announcements/story/2024-06-20/sandbox-vr-opens-newest-location-in-culver-city. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Takahashi, Dean (April 15, 2025). "Sandbox VR surpasses $200M in lifetime sales with 127 more locations in the pipeline". GamesBeat. https://gamesbeat.com/sandbox-vr-surpasses-200m-in-lifetime-sales-with-127-more-locations-in-the-pipeline/. 
  10. ↑ "New funding to accelerate Sandbox VR's global franchise program set for explosive growth with 200 projected stores in 2027". Slovenia Times. January 17, 2026. https://sloveniatimes.com/42289/new-funding-to-accelerate-sandbox-vrs-global-franchise-program-set-for-explosive-growth-with-200-projected-stores-in-2027. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Takahashi, Dean (2026-03-26). "Sandbox VR hits $300M in lifetime sales and grows to 80 locations" (in en-US). https://gamesbeat.com/sandbox-vr-hits-300m-in-lifetime-sales-and-grows-to-80-locations/. 
  12. ↑ Kelly, Jack (January 31, 2022). "Sandbox VR Offers An Immersive, Interactive Blockbuster Action Movie Virtual Reality Experience". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/01/31/sandbox-vr-offers-an-immersive-interactive-blockbuster-action-movie-virtual-reality-experience/. 
  13. ↑ bio, See full. "Sandbox VR's haptic vest lets you feel every zombie scratch" (in en). https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/sandbox-vrs-haptic-vest-lets-you-feel-every-zombie-scratch/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Sandbox VR provides immersive zombie-hunting fun this Halloween season" (in en-US). 2022-10-17. https://www.dailynews.com/2022/10/17/sandbox-vr-provides-immersive-zombie-hunting-fun-this-halloween-season/. 
  15. ↑ Maddox, Jordan (2026-04-20). "Sandbox VR Offers Escape from Norm with Immersive Virtual Reality Studios" (in en-US). https://www.dallasobserver.com/sponsored/sandbox-vr-virtual-reality-experience-dallas-40662639/. 
  16. ↑ "'Away Mission' is a free-roaming 'Star Trek' VR experience" (in en-US). 2019-07-31. https://www.engadget.com/2019-07-31-away-mission-is-a-free-roaming-star-trek-vr-experience.html. 
  17. ↑ "Sandbox VR to Launch “Star Trek” Location-Based Reality Experience (EXCLUSIVE)" (in en-US). 2019-07-31. https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/sandbox-vr-to-launch-star-trek-location-based-reality-experience-exclusive-1203286230/. 
  18. ↑ "Hong Kong start-up Sandbox VR’s hyperrealistic games are a scream" (in en). 2019-07-22. https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/3019354/heres-how-hong-kong-start-sandbox-vr-built-hyperrealistic-virtual. 
  19. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2024-09-03). "Sandbox VR foresees big expansion in franchise locations" (in en-US). https://gamesbeat.com/sandbox-vr-foresees-big-expansion-in-franchise-locations/. 
  20. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (2019-10-22). "Sandbox VR's Deadwood Mansion" (in en-US). https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/sandbox-vr-funding-orlando-bloom-katy-perry-justin-timberlake-1203377770/. 
  21. ↑ Sorrel, Charlie (August 15, 2023). "Sandbox VR's New Amber Sky 2088 Is Great Sci-Fi Fun". CNET. https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/sandbox-vrs-new-amber-sky-2088-is-great-sci-fi-fun/. 
  22. ↑ "Immersive VR experience lets you walk with dinosaurs". https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/shopping/immersive-vr-experience-lets-you-walk-with-dinosaurs/ar-AA20v0Sp. 
  23. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2026-03-30). "Sandbox VR unveils Age of Dinosaurs immersive VR experience" (in en-US). https://gamesbeat.com/sandbox-vr-unveils-age-of-dinosaurs-immersive-vr-experience/. 
  24. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2023-05-01). "Sandbox VR launches Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire for location-based VR" (in en-US). https://gamesbeat.com/sandbox-vr-launches-seekers-of-the-shard-dragonfire-for-location-based-vr/. 
  25. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2023-02-08). "Squid Game is coming to Sandbox VR immersive experience locations" (in en-US). https://gamesbeat.com/squid-game-is-coming-to-sandbox-vr-immersive-experience-locations/. 
  26. ↑ "HTC threw us into the Squid Games to preview their new VR headset — the Vive Focus Vision" (in en). 2024-10-14. https://www.space.com/htc-vive-vision-focus-preview-squid-games. 
  27. ↑ Knezevic, Kevin (June 10, 2025). "New Stranger Things VR Experience Coming Later This Year". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-stranger-things-vr-experience-coming-later-this-year/1100-6532304/. 
  28. ↑ "Stranger Things: Catalyst - New Game From Sandbox VR Announced". Screen Rant. June 10, 2025. https://screenrant.com/stranger-things-catalyst-new-game-sandbox-vr/. 
  29. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (January 15, 2025). "'Rebel Moon' VR Game From Netflix, Sandbox Virtual Reality Coming in 2025". Variety. https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/rebel-moon-vr-game-netflix-sandbox-virtual-reality-1236266976/. 



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