After drawing more than 400,000 visitors to its Natick Mall Massachusetts headquarters in 2023, Level99 opened at Providence Place in Rhode Island yesterday.
The 40,000 square foot venue holds 43 rooms where 600 minds and bodies are met with custom-built challenges, and fueled by Night Shift Brewing Kitchen & Tap, serving 300 diners from scratch kitchen.
“It’s a video game come to life,” said Level99 CEO Matt DuPlessie, an MIT-trained engineer and Harvard Business School graduate who previously worked with Disney and Universal and leads the production team behind the Level99 experience. “This is where you can be the hero in your entertainment.”
As adults explore the space together, they’ll encounter a series of physical, mental and skill-based challenges. They’ll spin giant wheels to solve word puzzles, snap oversized processing chips into computer circuits and pilot a submarine to diffuse underwater mines – in just a few of the unique challenges found only at the new Providence location.
“One minute you’re in an ornate museum and the next minute you’re in a ninja dojo,” said DuPlessie. “These are short, punchy, immersive challenge experiences you can’t get on your couch or a screen.”
There are no TVs at Level99. The players themselves are the entertainment, dueling in player-versus-player arena games next to the Night Shift Kitchen & Tap which serves farm-to-table food and more than 20 flavorful local craft beers.
The culinary team behind the restaurant offers an elevated menu including locally sourced Wagyu burgers, savoury short rib birria and crispy Detroit-style pizza with dough made in-house, named Best Pizza in Boston by Boston Magazine.
At the same time, Level99 Natick is getting its biggest refresh since its June 2021 opening. Ten new challenge rooms are now open, where guests can enter the engine room of a starship, climb inside a larger-than-life retro pinball machine and jump to the rhythm in a hall of mirrors.
Level99 is backed by Act III Holdings, the investment vehicle led by Panera Bread Founder and longtime CEO Ron Shaich. Act III helps companies mature into nationally dominant brands and works with public companies as they evolve using founder-friendly capital and deep experience in hospitality and growth. Other Act III investments include Life Alive Organic Cafe, Tatte Bakery & Cafe and CAVA, which Act III led through a successful IPO in 2023.
Providence was selected as Level99’s second location through the company’s strong relationship with Brookfield Properties, from which it leased its first location and the demographic makeup of the city.
“Providence residents are mentally, physically and socially active,” said DuPlessie. “The artistic nature of the city is a great fit for our experience. We worked with dozens of regional Rhode Island artists to transform an empty JC Penny into the open world of entertainment and discovery you can step into today.”
