There are so many new attractions coming to Disney World in the next few years that it can be legitimately difficult to keep track of. All four parks either have or are about to have, significant construction projects in motion. However, there’s something else worthy of note coming to Disney World that you won’t find in the parks.
Walt Disney World’s shopping and dining complex Disney Springs has some incredible entertainment options as well. Most noteworthy is Drawn to Life, a Cirque Di Soleil show exclusive to Disney World, but another entertainment offering looks ready to move in. WDWMagic reports that Level 99, an interactive gaming concept with two locations currently on the East Coast, is looking to open a Disney Springs location.
Where will it be? Oh, in the former home of Disney’s own interactive gaming in what used to be the home of Disney’s own in-house approach to interactive gaming.
Level 99 Looks A Lot Like DisneyQuest
Level 99 boasts “interactive social gaming with over 50 physical and mental challenges set in artistic environments.” Both competitive and cooperative experiences are available to challenge players in different ways. A look at the company website shows a unique experience overall, but the idea of interactive gaming at Disney Springs isn’t new at all.
Back in 1998, Walt Disney World opened DisneyQuest. The experience was a sort of virtual, interactive theme park, made up of a collection of VR and AR attractions, as well as more traditional arcade experiences. All the games were inspired by various Disney movies and theme park attractions, and the initial concept was meant to expand outside of Disney parks, though only a single location in Chicago ever opened. (And it closed two years later.)
After it was clear that DisneyQuest wasn’t going to grow beyond the original idea, Disney World execs appeared to quickly lose interest in maintaining the the original attraction. There were few updates to the existing elements, but it was largely the fans of the concept who kept it alive.
At least until 2017, when DisneyQuest officially closed. Park-goers were unhappy, and were even less impressed with what replaced it.
The NBA Experience Was A Rare Disney World Flop
In the summer of 2019, the NBA Experience opened its doors. The new location wasn’t entirely dissimilar to DisneyQuest with unique activities on offer for guests, just with a basketball theme. However, the NBA Experience never brought in much of a crowd, and then a little thing called the global pandemic happened.
The NBA Experience was forced to close less than a year after opening due to the pandemic. And then, almost exactly one year after the doors had opened, Disney World and the NBA agreed to keep the NBA Experience closed for good without ever reopening. Since then, the building has gone largely unused with the occasional pop-up resident but nothing permanent.
If another company thinks that there is an audience for its interactive product at Disney Springs, then perhaps Disney really was premature in closing the original down. Maybe Level 99 will have a virtual experience that can show younger generations what it was like to go to DisneyQuest.
