OLiO VR – One year down at the Jumbo Entertainment District

We were delighted to host a 78-year-old grandmother and her daughter at the end of last summer—she had a blast playing our arena games!

We opened our doors to the public on January 16, 2025, in the Jumbo Entertainment District in Vantaa. This past year has been a real whirlwind. There have been moments of joyful laughter and moments of hitting our heads against the wall, but all the warm customer encounters I’ve personally experienced have truly warmed my heart. Seeing such big smiles and pure joy when picking up customers from the arena and bringing them back to reality after their experiences is incredibly rewarding.

It has been a pleasure to offer a completely new type of service to such a diverse range of groups—including families, birthday parties, companies, and groups of friends, not forgetting those who enjoy playing solo!

In our previous blog post, I touched upon my personal perspective: the "shock therapy" and sleep deprivation that came with jumping into the entrepreneurial hamster wheel while building a unique entertainment service from the ground up. But hey, everyone would do this if it were easy.

A fresh alternative to conventional activities

This past year has actually been spent fighting the common narrative that you can get the same experience and feeling at home. I can say, without a hint of exaggeration, that you simply "can't."

There’s no need to worry about heirloom vases or flat-screen TVs getting knocked over in a cramped living room—instead, you can move freely in a vast, open space. Furthermore, the fact that the gaming happens in perfect sync and in real-time interaction with your own group is something that home setups just cannot provide.

On top of that, our highly popular haptic vests and game controllers, our ever-growing selection of games, and our dedicated, service-oriented staff have made us something truly unique and wonderful. In terms of customer experience, this has proven to be a great alternative to familiar activities like mini-golf, bowling, movies, and laser tag, which many have been doing for a long time.

Smurfs, zombies, and a Mexican 'Abuela' thwarting a bank heist

My wildest empirical observation has been how arena gaming in virtual reality transcends age and background. Our oldest player has been a 78-year-old "abuela" from Mexico, who was absolutely thrilled to be thwarting a bank robbery. At the other end of the spectrum, our youngest player was a brave 5-year-old sprout, defending a candy mountain from tin soldiers and paper planes alongside their parents.

The best part about the magic of the virtual world is its sheer scale. You can escape from prison, dive into a horror experience, become a Smurf protecting your village, or cook burgers with your tongue in your cheek—all while buns roll across the floor (following the five-second rule, of course) and patties burn on the grill. With over 30 arena games, we guarantee that one visit isn’t enough, as there’s always something new to try. Maybe one day you’ll be escaping from a bun or burning down a prison.

In any case, we have entertainment for groups, birthdays, companies, and solo players alike. Furthermore, our resourceful team has figured out how to pack virtual reality into a car; our Mobile Arena travels wherever duty calls, all across Finland.

Slaughter zombies or flip burgers?