During the MCO, immersive entertainment centre Breakout had to keep its doors shut as a non-essential service. As a business that was dependent on in-person experiences, this meant practically no sales for the business.
Despite that, its parent company, Superdough Sdn Bhd came up with the idea of selling discounted tickets with a 1-year validity for Breakout and its sister brand, Hauntu, to tide them through.
Most recently, they decided to launch a new product under Breakout called The Enigma gift box to commemorate their sixth birthday.
Taking inspiration from the puzzles and mystery that one would find in a Breakout game, this gift embodies all that and more in a box.
It’s meant as a gift from you to a loved one, be it a partner or family member, and can be gifted regardless of occasion.
When the receiver gets the box, they won’t know your identity until they manage to solve all the puzzles. The puzzles of the box have been personalised to reflect your special moments or dates with the receiver, which will be the clues to solving them.
Superdough is known for their ability to create personalised experiences, particularly for Hauntu, where how you play will determine the ending you get. So, in a sense, they’re bringing that personalisation out of the rooms and into these boxes.
Once the puzzles have been solved, the receiver can turn the box into a time capsule with a guide that details what objects can be stored in it.
In my personal experience, I’ve never seen a gift like this before, so I’m not surprised that within 8 days of its launch, all 30 units of the first batch of The Enigma were sold out.
More To Come
For those of you who are mourning a missed opportunity, Ka-Wai, co-founder of Breakout, told Vulcan Post that there will be a restock of 100 units for a second batch. If they see a surge in customer enquiries for a Bahasa Melayu version, they can also cater to them.
Each box sells for RM80, and its production is completed after purchase. Customers who make a purchase will receive an automated email that directs them to a Google Form, which they will have to fill up.
Answer as best as you can, since they’ll be used by the Breakout team to customise the puzzle.
“For example, one of the questions we ask is, ‘Give us the memorable date between you and the receiver and its answer in a 4-digit date or year’,” Ka-Wai shared.
They’ll also ask the customer to record a video message for the receiver to reveal the sender’s identity, but this can only be viewed upon completion of the puzzle.
Customisation of The Enigma gift box can take anywhere between 2 to 5 days, and the team will confirm the delivery date and other special requests with the customer.
While they’ve successfully sold 30 units thus far, Ka-Wai shared that it isn’t quite enough to cover their costs for staying afloat yet.
“I believe when we can sell up to 120 units per month then we’ll be able to cover some of the costs such as employees’ wages.”
Breaking Out Of The Standard
As they work on more The Enigma gift boxes, Ka-Wai also slipped us a little tease of something else that’s currently being finalised.
“Most online escape rooms we have tried and seen overseas require players to solve puzzles on a static video screen by instructing a game master.”
“In the video, the players will ask the game master to solve puzzles such as opening up a lock or solve puzzles on a shared screen using a static image. This is not something that we envision for digitalising escape rooms for the price that customers will pay,” he added.
So, for Breakout, whose online game will be carried out via video conferencing software too, they’re differentiating themselves by involving an NPC (non-playable character or actor) in the game. The scenario may involve rescuing this NPC for a proper escape.
They’re hoping to develop an online experience where interactivity, storylines and decision-making will play a big part in the game, instead of just puzzle solving.
Furthermore, they’re developing different online products to navigate the current situation and keep their players engaged.
In line with that, they’ll be launching a mini Hari Raya challenge called Puzzle-Raya to let people play puzzles for free during the season. The successful challenger will win free admission to a Breakout outlet, and this prize will be valid for 1 year.
- You can read more on what we’ve written about Breakout here.
Featured Image Credit: Breakout