A new waterfront attraction in Seattle will bring the popular video game and film franchise “Tomb Raider” and its protagonist Lara Croft to life in an immersive, escape-room-style entertainment experience.
Seattle-based Hourglass Escapes, under its new banner Hourglass Attractions, plans to open “Tomb Raider Experience Seattle: Escape from the Temple of Fire” this fall, the company announced Monday. The 4,000-square-foot facility at 1122 Post Ave. is blocks from Pike Place Market.
The experience promises to go beyond traditional escape room offerings, where visitors will join Croft on the exploration of a mysterious temple that has emerged from a volcano and help her protect a dangerous artifact hidden within its ancient walls.
“Tomb Raider Experience Seattle” promises “scenic landscapes, heart-thumping adventures, challenging puzzles, and live actors all working together” over the course of about 90 minutes, with “pulse-racing action” that culminates in what Hourglass describes as “a thrilling, lava-soaked finale.”
The attraction comes at a time when Amazon is developing a film reboot of “Tomb Raider” as well as a streaming TV series. And it could serve as another way that the City of Seattle hopes to lure visitors to the downtown core as part of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan.
Seth Wolfson, owner and creative director of Hourglass Escapes and co-owner of Hourglass Attractions, is a film and theme park veteran who has been designing and operating escape room experiences and video games since 2016.
“Having the opportunity to create an immersive attraction based on the ‘Tomb Raider’ franchise is a dream come true,” Wolfson said in a statement, adding that he looks forward to bringing “a family friendly attraction to the Seattle Waterfront area.”
Hourglass Escapes is the creator of Seattle-based escape rooms including “Evil Dead 2” and “Arkham Horror: Mystery at Innsmout,” among others.
The first “Tomb Raider” video game was released in 1996, and since then, the franchise has sold more than 95 million copies. There have also been three movies: “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001); “Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” (2003); and “Tomb Raider” (2018).
“Tomb Raider” creator Crystal Dynamics has a game development studio in Bellevue, Wash., called Crystal Northwest.
