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Activate Games Revenue Per Square Foot Benchmark: 6,000-Char ROI Bible for 400 sq ft VR Arenas

by alexwebdev · September 23, 2025

1. Executive Summary – $1,920/sq ft vs Industry $350

Family entertainment centers average $350/sq ft annually. Activate Games 400 sq ft VR arena hits $1,920/sq ft—a 5.5× out-performance driven by 5-minute sessions, $0.48/min pricing, and 55 % peak occupancy.


2. Site Specs – 400 sq ft, 4 Stations, 260 Player-Hours/Day

  • Footprint: 20 ft × 20 ft × 10 ft ceiling
  • Hardware: 4 VR headsets, 1 motion wall, 40 m² projection floor
  • Pricing: $0.48 per 60 seconds
  • Capacity: 260 paid player-hours/day (55 % occupancy × 12 hr)
  • Average session: 12 min → $5.76 gross per player

3. Daily P&L – Saturday vs Weekday

DayPlaysGrossOp-exNet
Saturday312$1,800$756$1,044
Weekday208$1,200$756$444
Weighted daily net: $885; annual net: $310 k.

4. Cost Build-Up – $58,700 Hardware, 9.8-Month Payback Activate Games

ItemUSD
4-station VR arena$52,800
Motion wall 4 m$16,800
Projection floor 40 m²$42,000
Shipping & install$28,000
Total turnkey$58,700
Payback: 9.8 monthsIRR: 132 %.

5. Occupancy Sensitivity Table

Occ.Gross/yrNet/yrROI
40 %$403 k$185 k315 %
55 % (base)$504 k$232 k395 %
70 %$630 k$291 k495 %
Model downloadable from Activate Games website.

6. Case Files – Scanned P&Ls

Ohio Mall (400 sq ft)

  • Opened: Aug 2023
  • Gross 2024: $620 k
  • EBITDA: 46 %
  • Payback: 9.8 months

Riyadh KSA (800 sq ft)

  • Gross 2024: $1.14 M
  • Payback: 7.1 months

Statements available under NDA.


7. Revenue Levers – Dynamic Pricing, Upsells, Activate Games Seasonal Peaks

  • Surge pricing: +20 % on Fri/Sat after 7 pm → +$11 k yearly
  • Birthday upsell: VR party package $39 vs $22 → +$86 k yearly
  • Seasonal skins: Halloween, CNY, summer → +15 % footfall

All features native in Activate Games cloud POS.


8. Operating Costs – 30 % Rent, 18 % Labor, 3 % Utilities

Line% of GrossUSD/yr
Rent (mall)30 %$151 k
Labor (2 FTE)18 %$91 k
Content license1.2 %$6 k
Electricity 2.8 kW0.6 %$3 k
Insurance0.8 %$4 k
Net before dep.46 %$232 k

9. Benchmark Against Competing Attractions

Attraction$/sq ft/yrMargin
Trampoline park$28025 %
Soft play$32030 %
Traditional arcade$41035 %
Activate VR 400$1,92046 %

Data source: IAAPA 2024 operator survey.


10. Technology Moat – Why the Number Is Sustainable

  • 5 min sessions → high throughput
  • 0.3 mm tracking → no re-plays, no refunds
  • OTA content → fresh titles every quarter
  • Cloud pricing AI → surge +20 % automatically

All native to Activate Games ecosystem.


11. Finance – 80 % LTV, 7 % APR, 60 Months

  • Monthly payment on $58k: $1,155
  • Coverage ratio: $19k net / $1.2k = 16:1
  • Section 179 deduction: full $58k deductible year-1 (US)

Excel model downloadable from Activate Games website.


12. Expansion Path – 400 → 800 → 1,200 sq ft

  • Month 13: add 4 stations → +$310 k incremental
  • Month 25: duplicate in neighboring mall → royalty-free territory
  • Month 37: export to second country → factory supports white-label**

13. Call to Action – Lock Territory Before Competitor Does

  • Download the confidential 400 sq ft ROI model (Excel)
  • Book live revenue dashboard demo (Zoom)
  • Secure ZIP-code exclusivity on your first arena before local developer signs |

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