About Us
Who are we? How did the idea for ParaPark and ParaPoly come about? Learn more about the history of our adventure games!
The launch:
ParaPark is the first escape room in the Galaxy, which means that - at least in the Western world - ParaPark was the very first.The escape room itself was invented by Attila Gyurkovics in 2011, when this active form of entertainment began its journey to conquer Europe and then the world. At the time, many people laughed at the creator, wondering who would pay to be locked in a room for 60 minutes. Since then, its popularity has remained unbroken worldwide, and course designers and operators even organize an annual conference on this topic.
The game, which is somewhat different from the currently widespread concept, but is still based on escape, is associated with the name of cartoon director and screenwriter Takao Kato (later Mitsubishi CEO), who created his own concept in 2007.
The franchise network:
After the launch in 2011, escape rooms began to mushroom, first in Hungary – mainly in Budapest, then in Europe, and finally they conquered the whole world. Thanks to the Hungarian roots, our compatriots were the first to start escape rooms abroad. In the early years, the largest franchise network was ParaPark, which was available on 4 continents, 10 countries, and 25 cities. In Germany the first ParaPark was opened in Fürth in 2014 which was the first room escape game in the whole Mittelfranken region followed by Frankfurt am Main and Munnich.Globalization and easy-to-assemble game concepts that could be ordered online did not favor franchise networks, so more and more of them went in this direction, but the core cities in Hungary are still members of the ParaPark community, and there are some (Pécs, Szeged, Székesfehérvár) where the pioneering room with the fantasy name Studio 113 can still be found, which amazes even experienced escape room teams with its simplicity and the flow experience that can be experienced during the game.
The urban adventure:
Over time, we stepped out into the open air and created ParaPoly with the idea of an urban board game. We brought a childhood dream to life, that is, to be the main characters in the game as a real adventure, and the city itself was the life-size scenery. With its help, we made sightseeing fun, which the whole family could finally enjoy.The start was a semi-success, because by the time we managed to create the concept and the game itself, COVID hit, which was not conducive to any group program. The first wave significantly set us back, as well as all services. Over time, however, it became a popular program as an outdoor game, which helped many people get out of the 4 walls and bring a little adventure into the monotony caused by the virus.
The new franchise:
Discovering the freedom of urban gaming, the conquest has begun in this category as well. Although the former ParaPark community has dwindled, the remaining members were all the more committed. We are currently present in 4 countries (Hungary, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands), 16 cities, in addition to expansion, we are also trying to create new tracks, constantly listening to player feedback and developing the game concept.In Germany, we can be found in most major cities, such as Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Hannover, Frankfurt am Main, Mannheim and Mainz.
