How to choose a theme for escape room? Part 1
(time of reading 3 min)

Quality of the game is what makes most difference once the players enter escape room (though one should never underestimate the relevance of customer service, too).
But in order to try your game - players need to choose it first based on reviews, photos, location and, most definitely, the theme of your game.

The answer fully depends on the size of your market, population and, most importantly the amount and quality level of competition.

If you are looking to bring the joy of escaping the rooms to a completely new area - keep things simple and don't overcomplicate things. You will better use your time and effort explaining what escape room is in general, rather than explaining that AND some super-weird and creative story put on top of it. Generic themes like Prison, Heist, Murder Mystery etc are incredibly self-explanatory, which will give you chance to focus on other aspects.

If you are entering an already established market, you are nearly guaranteed to have all or most of the generic themes covered as well as the themes of the most popular movie franchises. This means that finding your Unique Selling Point will be harder - you can no longer say that you are the "only escape room in [insert city name]" or "only magic-themed".

You also can't afford being average - that would lead your business into oblivion rapidly. You need to stand out from the crowd - rather by quality or uniqueness.

Uniqueness is usually obtained through hard path of trial and error (and usually starts with weirdness first). But if you are an escape room enthusiast with lots of experience, willingness to learn several new areas of expertise and polish your creation continuously - you do have a chance to stand out from the crowd as well.

Create immersive stories, engage players into unusual activities, push borders and blend different types of experience. Or simply go Harry Potter - this never fails