Winnipeg-based entertainment company Activate is expanding into Australia, with its first location in the country set to open at Melbourne’s Highpoint Shopping Centre in early 2027.
Activate Melbourne (Highpoint) will be located next to HOYTS Cinema in Maribyrnong, Victoria, marking the company’s entry into the Australian market and the first of several planned openings across the country.
The venue will feature 12 game rooms with more than 800 levels of challenges. Activate uses RFID technology to track players across rooms, allowing them to level up, unlock achievements and earn rewards. The games combine physical and mental challenges focused on speed, co-ordination and problem-solving. Teams of two to five people can play together.
“As we continue our global expansion, Australia feels like a natural next step,” said Adam Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of Activate. “We’re excited to bring what we’ve built in Canada to Australia and introduce a new community of Players to the games, technology and energy that make Activate unique.”
The Melbourne location will offer games including Mega Grid, Mega Laser, Strike and Hide. Players can also compete through the company’s Activate Global League and annual Tournament of Champions, which involve players and teams from its locations around the world.
Activate currently operates more than 80 locations worldwide. The company says its games, technology and facilities are designed, engineered and manufactured in Winnipeg. The Australian expansion will also involve the creation of a local workforce as Activate prepares for the Melbourne opening. The company is recruiting for a range of positions as it builds its local team.
Activate is headquartered in Winnipeg and operates locations in Canada, the U.S., Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates.
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