Level99 Announces Summer Opening at Disney World!
Walt Disney World’s newest interactive experience, Level99, has announced that it’ll open its doors in Summer 2026! The replacement for the defunct NBA Experience and DisneyQuest venue at Disney Springs is finally getting a replacement, and it sounds fantastic! This covers the latest announcement, along with our commentary about why this could be a great fit.
Gamers and job seekers, power up! Level99, the interactive social gaming venue coming to Disney Springs West Side at Walt Disney World will open in Summer 2026. The sprawling playground designed for adults and teens will provide an exciting new experience at Disney Springs.
Housed in more than 45,000 square feet of space, featuring a two-story bar and craft food offerings, guests will enjoy more than 60 life-sized mini-games where they will dodge axes, crack puzzles, and outsmart challenges. The Disney Springs venue will be the fourth and largest Level99 location, including sites in Natick, Mass., Providence, R.I. and Tysons, Va. This newest venue will be located at Disney Springs West Side, near the Drawn to Life Cirque du Soleil theater.
Upon opening, the location at Walt Disney World will be the largest Level99 venue, featuring 63 total mini-games and challenges. Other Level99 locations currently have approximately 50 games.
Known for its larger-than-life and visually stunning artwork, Level99 at Disney Springs will feature the company’s biggest art installations to date with more than 40 original pieces of art.
The interactive social gaming venue aimed at adults and teens will also include a two-story bar in the central atrium, encircled by glowing rings of neon light visible throughout the venue. Level99 released the above concept art of the bar with the opening announcement. Below is how this same space looked at DisneyQuest.
Level99 will bring its signature craft food and beverage program featuring a selection of award-winning Detroit-style pizza, wagyu burgers, craveable snacks, handcrafted cocktails, and rotating beers on tap. Ingredients are made from scratch daily.
Led by entertainment innovator Matt DuPlessie and backed by Act III Holdings, the investment vehicle led by Panera founder and current CAVA Chair Ron Shaich, Level99 is an unmatched destination for real-world, challenge-based social entertainment. Beyond the games themselves, Level99 features best-in-class design, award-winning culinary offerings, and handcrafted beverages that are worth the trip.
According to its website, Level99 combines a variety of activities–interactive games, virtual reality experiences, escape rooms, arcades, and social spaces—all designed to engage visitors in unique and adventurous ways. Its spaces blend technology, creativity, and social interaction in a single place, with a variety of rooms offering a mixture of family fun, group activities, and adult entertainment.
Highlights include Rooms with Themed Challenges and Player vs. Player Duels. If competition is more your style, face off against your friends in a variety of player-vs-player competitions for glory and bragging rights.
If you’d prefer the collaborative route, gamers can work together in dozens of unique challenge rooms with your team of 2-6 players to test your body and mind. Your team has each room to yourself, but only 1-4 minutes to complete each challenge, so act quick!
Beyond the games themselves, Level99 features best-in-class design, an award-winning culinary offering, and craft beverages that are worth the trip. “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 own entertainment.”
Walt Disney World selected Level99 for the defunct NBA Experience space after a comprehensive review of the location-based entertainment industry. Level99’s location at Walt Disney World will add to the growing list of dining, shopping and entertainment options at Disney Springs, which features more than 150 shops, restaurants and family-friendly leisure activities.
In preparation for the summer opening of Level99, hiring is officially underway. The opening team hiring has begun for 150 entertainment and food and beverage roles at competitive wages (according to Level99). Job seekers can apply for current openings at level99.com/careers.
This isn’t Level99’s first rodeo taking over defunct spaces like the former NBA Experience/DisneyQuest venue.
In Providence, the company 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. This bodes well for the repurposing of the NBA Experience building.
Level99 has established a footprint in New England where it has experienced industry-leading guest traffic fueled by players driving on average over half an hour to visit. A typical experience at Level99 includes at least 2-3 hours of entertainment play, followed by drinks and food at its scratch kitchen and bar, with some players staying all day.
I’m bullish on Level99 and think it’s exactly the type of cost-effective and crowd-pleasing fix this space could use.
I’m impressed with what I’ve read thus far about Level99 and its CEO Matt DuPlessie, which includes this MIT Alumni interview detailing some of his experiences with Disney and desire to work in the themed design and entertainment spaces.
I’m also impressed that Level99 is relatively reasonably priced, with tickets costing as little as $29.99 for 2-hour blocks and $49.99 for all-day experiences. It should go without saying that pricing will be higher at Walt Disney World, but hopefully the value proposition is still workable for families. And it very well might benefit from scale and increased foot traffic, which could keep ticket prices down on higher volume.
Level99 looks flat out fun, interesting and engaging. While I love the idea of something like a Meow Wolf or TeamLab, this strikes me as meatier and more substantive, where there’s more of an esoteric quality to those.
That’s just my gut-level reaction to Level99. I’ve never visited it and am going solely off their own description and (overwhelmingly positive) reviews. But this sounds to me like something pitch-perfect for Walt Disney World’s guest demographics.
Obviously, I would prefer something purpose-built by Disney for this location. However, I’m also a realist. This venue probably isn’t the best use of their time or talents, and Imagineering cannot deliver anything efficiently. Every project is expensive, and here that would translate to higher ticket prices to recoup costs.
This has been an ongoing and recurrent problem, and is probably one of the big reasons why DisneyQuest was never updated and ultimately failed. For something like this, it’s key to keep startup costs and operating expenses down so that ticket prices can follow suit. Otherwise, it’s doomed to fail before it ever opens. (See also, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.)
NBA Experience had its own problems, being a synergy move as part of Disney’s bigger picture relationship with the NBA. During the brief period it was open, NBA Experience struggled to draw guests and offered aggressive Cast Member deals and free admission.
Obviously, the closure of Walt Disney World and subsequent slowdown during the phased reopening didn’t help. However, business had been booming at Disney Springs for over a year at the point when Walt Disney World announced in 2021 that the NBA Experience would permanently close.
The closure of NBA Experience was inevitable. Tickets were too expensive, the concept was too niche, and didn’t appeal to enough of Walt Disney World’s core demographics. It would’ve closed regardless of COVID. That was not what killed the NBA Experience–it’s what gave a convenient face-saving cover to close the incredibly unpopular attraction. (Even so, I hesitate to call it an unequivocal failure, because it might’ve strengthened the relationship between the NBA and Disney, leading indirectly to the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World. So maybe the investment was worth it, after all!)
Point being, Walt Disney World needs a cost-effective and crowd-pleasing tenant for this large venue. My hope is that Level99 fits the bill on that front, and has both the capability to build something in this space that’s not prohibitively expensive and is reasonably appealing to a sufficient number of fans.
My hope is that Level99 starts out small, cloning the winning formula from its Rhode Island locations at Walt Disney World. A company that prides itself in creative ambition and transforming dead JCPenny stores sounds like a winning combo to me for this cursed space. Again, just having something fill this massive, abandoned venue will be a win.
Hit the ground running and have that function as proof-of-concept and a foundation for the experience to level up over time. There’s so much potential for growth, and Level99 to get bigger and better over time. Concepts like the Void VR: Star Wars Secrets of the Empire come to mind or, for that matter, some of the tech and gameplay from the shuttered Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
We now know that Imagineering does have such projects in the pipeline, as prolific patenter Lanny Smoot created the HoloTile floor. For those who are unfamiliar with it, HoloTile is the world’s first and only multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable, treadmill floor. If Level99 proves successful, perhaps there’s an opportunity for future investment in this location leveraging some of that technology.
Suffice to say, I’m optimistic about the possibilities presented by Level99 going into the former DisneyQuest space, and offering a spiritual successor to that gamified experience. As a native Michigander, I also love Detroit-style pizza and find that there are no good places to get it at (or even near) Walt Disney World. That alone is enough to sell me on this concept!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited to experience Level99 when it opens in Summer 2026 at Walt Disney World? What do you think of Level99 replacing the defunct NBA Experience at Disney Springs? Think it could be a fitting spiritual successor to DisneyQuest? Will Level99 be a good fit for Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
In Canada we have similar places. not as elaborate but the gist is the same. Varied kind games that can be quite exhausting. Adding food and drink to the mix sounds good. For the space, I would have rather have had a reimaged Disney Quest
Wow! I went there with a group of women to see Devil Wears Prada. It seems like there are thousands of new homes and restaurants etc. there now! This must be why WDW has so many APs now too! You greatly traded up weather and beauty wise from Hamlin to somewhere near Laguna Beach. Enjoy it!
Hey Tom, any insight or best guesses for an opening date – unless I missed it, they aren’t being more specific than “summer”? Would like to try this on our next visit last week of June/Independence Day weekend. Fingers crossed for DVC discounts too 🙂
Orlando has a Cinépolis theatre as does LA and the food and drinks delivered to your seat are pretty good!
We lived about 5 minutes from the Cinépolis Hamlin and it was our “home” theater after we dropped AMC A-List. I thought it was very nice and the food looked good, but we never ate there.
We don’t have such high end cinemas in Colorado Springs. There is one that serves food to your seat, but it’s not great. We typically go to our local Cinemark. All Mrs. Patrick asks for is a popcorn and a Diet Coke. All too often the popcorn is stale and the Diet Coke is flat. There is also an ICON Cinema where the popcorn is in giant fish tanks with serve-yourself soda. That area is always a disaster with even more stale popcorn.
We have a Level99 in the area and it’s fun – good for the kids, and interesting and upscale enough for a date night. It’s a good fit. The only caveat is that this is definitely an experience that suffers from crowds
I go back and forth on whether this is a good fit for Disney Springs. Without trying to sound too snobby, it’s a little more thoughtful and “artsy” or “weird” than a lot of what Orlando serves up for the masses of tourists from middle America (almost like a Meow Wolf turned into a series of mini physical challenges). And perhaps more importantly, it’s not really great for little kids.
I’m sure they’ll make adjustments, but anything to dumb it down or “kid-size” it would also take away what makes it great.
That said, my experience as a middle-aged dad with young teens at the Boston area location was top-notch and left me wanting to return ASAP. I hope it does well in Orlando, but more importantly I hope they’re able to expand to other cities (like my own!) while still keeping quality standards intact. There are other bigger companies doing similar conceptual things (e.g., Activate Games, which I also enjoy) but nothing quite like Level 99.
The impression I’ve gotten from everything I’ve read about the existing locations is that they’re incredibly popular.
Assuming that to be true, I would think that Level99 doesn’t need to change its formula to appeal to a wider audience. Even with the larger size, its location should do the heavy-lifting so long as it’s not prohibitively priced. There are a lot of non-families frequenting Disney Springs–locals, ‘Childless Disney Adult’ tourists, and conventioneers.
I have never visited a Level99, but it sounds like it confirms what I’ve been saying about entertainment venues for years; “Fix the food!”.
Again and again entertainment and game venues have opened local to me in Virginia and Colorado. Again and again these venues failed shortly after opening. Why? Well, there’s always a lot of hang-wringing and talk about the economy, changing trends and such. But they never mention the real reason and that is THE FOOD AND DRINKS SUCK!
Here in the 21st century, customers will not pay ridiculously high prices for low-grade hot dogs on stale, previously-frozen buns, too-thin, frozen “hockey puck” hamburgers, generic frozen pizzas and Busch Lite beer.
The key points in your description of Level99 is are, “craft food offerings” and “scratch kitchen” along with “handcrafted cocktails, and rotating beers “. THIS is what will bring people in and keep them coming back.
Now if only movie theaters would follow the same example.
Amusingly, up until your last sentence, my response was going to be that this is a great point…and one that I think upmarket movie theaters have learned in the last several years.
But I guess not? Or maybe you’re going to the wrong ones?
(I don’t eat at movies, so I truly don’t know. Just the impression I’ve gotten from the locations around us, but the LA/OC market might be different.)
Tom, you got it right about LA being different. Movies are God. The theaters are houses of worship and the communal elements are top notch.
This really feels like a natural spiritual successor to DisneyQuest. It would be a great way to break up a day at Disney Springs with something energetic. I get tired of walking through stores for too long and would love something fun to break it up. Then close out the day with a Drawn to Life performance and honestly, you’ve got a really great day in DS.
I’m excited about this. We have a similar, albeit far less ambitious, version of this near us in NJ, and it is super fun for tweens and up. This one looks even more appealing. I would definitely include this on an arrival, departure, or break day. I wish it luck!