PAW Patrol already has legs in video games and mobile apps, but now the Spin Master preschool franchise is jumping into a new type of interactive experience where kids control the gameplay and fun with their bodies. 

Brand partner Paramount Global has inked a deal with New York-based live entertainment company Immersive Gamebox (IGB) to develop a new PAW Patrol experience that has all the trappings of a VR game, but without the headsets.  

In the as-yet-untitled game, groups of kids will play together in rooms that are outfitted with touch screens, 3D-motion tracking tech and projection mapping (an AR technique to make the characters look natural on the room’s walls) so they feel like the pups are really there and interacting with them. The hour-long experience, which is aimed at three- to seven-year-olds, is all about the PAW Patrol crew rescuing animals and citizens of Adventure Bay.

IGB is initially launching the experience in all 13 of its US locations on June 14, and then going international with an EMEA rollout in seven additional locations later this year. 

The goal with these rooms is to eliminate the need for VR headsets (which most manufacturers don’t recommend kids wear until they’re at least 13 years old) and controllers (which some kids might struggle to use), while still creating an immersive experience. 

This is the first time IGB is developing a game for preschoolers, giving it a foot in the door to engage with a new audience of families with younger children. The company isn’t new to kids content, though. Since its 2021 launch, IGB’s in-house studio has developed several titles for younger players, including an Angry Birds slingshot game for kids ages five and up (30 minutes) and an all-ages series of Shaun The Sheep: Championsheeps mini-games (30 minutes).