Events - ACTIVATE: The Canadian immersive experience arrives in Val d'Europe and redefines indoor leisure in France

By Mulder, 24 september 2025

Wednesday, September 24, 2025, marks a symbolic date for interactive leisure enthusiasts: the opening of the very first ACTIVATE center in France, in the heart of Val d'Europe, in the Imagi Park leisure complex. After conquering Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Dubai, the brand is now taking on Europe with the ambition of revolutionizing the way we play together. This launch is not just a commercial inauguration—it is a milestone in the evolution of physical and digital entertainment, a futuristic playground where technology blends with human performance.

Founded in 2019 in Winnipeg, Canada, ACTIVATE quickly established its concept: a carefully balanced mix of physical activity, thinking, and immersive play, all supported by innovative interactive technology. Where escape games focus on storytelling and puzzles, ACTIVATE focuses on freedom and replayability. Its 12 themed rooms, each equipped with digital screens, interactive projectors, and ultra-precise sensors, offer more than 500 game combinations, with up to ten difficulty levels per challenge. Spaces such as Hide, Control, Laser, and Mega Grid become arenas where players—in teams of two to five—compete for sixty minutes of intensity, agility, and strategy. The experience is enriched with each visit thanks to the ACTIVATE profile, which records scores and allows players to progress from one session to the next, a system designed for both the competitive and those curious about personal development.

This dazzling success is no accident. Behind the project, the founders wanted to design an indoor activity that breaks down the barrier between sport and video games, a vision that was born long before the “phygital” trend took hold in modern leisure activities. Quickly going viral on social media, the ACTIVATE experience has attracted over a million followers and racked up millions of views on Instagram and TikTok. The brand has grown at an impressive rate, opening nearly 60 centers in North America before expanding to the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. This expansion is now supported by a strategic partnership with the Hadrena group, the European leader in local entertainment, which holds the exclusive master franchise for France, Spain, Portugal, and Benelux. This partnership plans to open around 30 centers in six years, making ACTIVATE a key player in the European leisure landscape.

The opening in Val d'Europe is therefore not just a test, but a showcase of ambition. Located on the first floor of the Imagi Park complex—already known for hosting Speed Park, Fort Boyard Aventures, and KOJUMP—the ACTIVATE center covers 1,000 m² of pure entertainment. The idea is to complement the venue's already rich offering with an experience that is both accessible and innovative. With a single price of €25 for one hour of play, ACTIVATE attracts a wide audience, from families to groups of friends, as well as companies looking for an original team-building activity. The site offers sessions by reservation, from Tuesday to Sunday, and is open to everyone aged 6 and over.

In a market saturated with virtual experiences, ACTIVATE stands out with its promise: to get people moving, thinking, and collaborating in a high-tech setting without falling into excessive competition. As Sarah Lion, CEO of Activate Games France, points out, “With Activate, we are bringing a new generation of indoor leisure activities to France, at the crossroads of sport, gaming, and technology. Unique and infinitely replayable, Activate redefines the immersive entertainment experience. We are convinced that this concept will appeal to millions of players across Europe.” Her words perfectly sum up the spirit of the project: an inclusive, energetic, and connected approach designed to last.

The opening of Val d'Europe has already attracted the curiosity of its first visitors, intrigued by this futuristic architecture where each room reacts to the players' movements and decisions in real time. Initial feedback suggests an addictive experience, a masterful balance between life-size video games and a fun gym. This concept, designed to be modular and scalable, could well become the new standard in indoor leisure—a promise that fits in with an era in which the need for community and shared sensory experiences is more pressing than ever.

With its technological ambition, international strategy, and desire to restore meaning to team play, ACTIVATE seems to have found the winning formula. The Val d'Europe experience is just the beginning: other cities are already being considered, and if the expansion plan delivers on its promises, the whole of Europe could soon be buzzing with these connected arenas. More than just entertainment, ACTIVATE invites everyone to become a player in their own game, to push their limits and discover that immersion is not just about screens, but about energy, movement, and sharing.

Practical information:
Information and reservations: HTTPS://ACTIVATE-GAMES.FR
Address: Imagi Park – 1 rue de l'Hymne A La Joie – 77700 Serris
Duration: 1 hour
Price: €25 per person (single price)
Number of players: 2 to 5 players per team. For more than 5 players, it is possible to create several teams.
Outside school holidays: Monday (closed), Tuesday (4pm-10pm), Wednesday (1pm-10pm), Thursday (4pm-10pm), Friday (4pm-11pm), Saturday (11am-11pm), Sunday (11am-8pm)
School holidays: Monday to Thursday (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Friday and Saturday (11 a.m. to 11 p.m.), Sunday (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

Photos: Copyright Jules Despret

(Source: press release)