Franchise, licence or your own room? Compare before you choose.
Quiz rooms come in three models: a franchise, a licence, or a room you own. Here is what each model means for your venue, and the five things we hear most from operators about QuizXarena.
Met us at IAAPA Expo Europe in London? Message us and we pick up where we left off.
Your venue, your style
A franchise formula runs the same brand, game and room concept in every location. That consistency is what you buy into with a formula, and it is a real strength. It also means a guest who has played it in one city meets the same format in the next.
A QuizXarena is themed to your venue, with its own show and its own host. So guests who enjoyed a quiz room elsewhere still find something new at yours. That is our bet: people happily play another quiz room, and a different show gives them a reason to.
The short version
Own it, don't rent it
With QuizXarena the room, the desks and the brand are yours from day one: a one-time purchase plus €1.75 per player (min. €295 a month) for shows, software and support. A per-player fee, not a percentage of your revenue. With a franchise you usually buy the rooms too, but you rent the name and the game, typically with an entry fee and a share of revenue for the term of the contract.
A show, not a game
Guests step into a TV studio: live camera on the players, stage lighting cues, special effects and a host with real comic timing. Warm and inviting rather than a dark gaming box, so a birthday party and a corporate team feel equally at home. And the host is on screen, so he can tell your venue's story.
Something new to come back for
Many quiz concepts refresh their questions. We also change the programme: The Great Pubquiz Show, Hitstars Rewind, Generation Quiz, Kids Quiz and more, each with its own rounds, mechanics and look. Plus fully custom shows in your style.
Five things that set QuizXarena apart
Not a feature list. These are the differences we hear most from operators who compare concepts with us.
It feels like television
A live camera puts the players on the big screen, the lights follow the show, effects land on the reveal. Guests recognise the TV-show format within seconds, and they behave like contestants, not like people pressing buttons on a machine. And the host is a character on screen, not a voice-over: he welcomes guests in your venue's name, tells your brand story and plugs your next event.
Every edition is a different show
The Great Pubquiz Show, Hitstars Rewind, Generation Quiz, Kids Quiz, Ladies Night, Boys vs Girls, Around the World. Different rounds, different mechanics, different look. Guests come back for a new programme, not for the same game with other questions.
Your room, your show, your mascot
From your colours and logo on the screens to a fully themed room with a host character designed for your venue. A bowling centre, a holiday park, an arcade, a taproom or a cruise ship each get their own show. See the examples below.
Families play together
Ages 4 to 80+ on the same desks, with rounds written so an eight-year-old and a grandparent compete on equal footing. Family friendly is where the daytime revenue is.
Built by show makers
QuizX has produced live quiz shows for 10+ years, for 15 to 3,000+ players a night, on a QuizXpress-based engine. The Arena is that experience distilled into a room that runs without staff: your team presses start, the show does the rest.
Where the others are strong
A franchise gives you a proven brand, a playbook and marketing support from a network. A licence gets you started quickly on a tested system. If that is what you want and you are happy to pay royalties or a licence fee, they are real options.
Want a proven brand that works the same way in every city, with a franchise network behind it? Then a formula is the right choice. Want a room and a show that exist only at your venue? Keep reading.
Own it, franchise it or license it
What each model means for your venue. We describe common market models here, not named providers: terms differ per provider and per country, so always check the current terms with the provider itself.
 Purchase, own brand |
F Franchise formula Brand and formula of a franchisor |
L Licence A provider's system under licence |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | One-time purchase. The attraction is yours, under your own name. | You operate under the franchisor's brand and follow its formula. | You use a provider's system and format; some licences let you keep your own name. |
| Ongoing fees | €1.75 per player (min. €295 a month) for content, software and service. A per-player fee, not a share of your revenue. | Usually a share of revenue, often plus a marketing contribution. | Usually a fixed licence fee. |
| Investment | €19,500 (Starter, 2 desks) to €55,000+ (Premium, custom content). Standard: €39,500 for 8 desks. All-in incl. installation and training, ex VAT. | Usually an entry fee plus the fit-out of the rooms. | Usually a licence fee plus the fit-out. |
| When the contract ends | Nothing comes off the door. The room, the desks and your brand stay yours; the per-player fee simply continues for shows, software and support. | The brand and the game are licensed for the term of the contract; what happens afterwards is set in the franchise contract. | The right to use the system runs with the licence. |
| Staff per session | 0. A virtual host runs every show; your team presses start. | Varies per formula. | Varies per provider. |
| The show | TV-studio room: live camera on the players, stage lighting cues, special effects, virtual host with show timing. Custom host or mascot possible. | The formula's room concept, the same in every location. | The provider's format. |
| Host | A virtual host with a face and a personality, on screen. Welcomes guests in your venue's name, tells your brand story, plugs your bar, your parties and your next event. | Varies per formula. | Varies per provider. |
| Content | 7+ rotating editions, each a different format, plus fully custom shows in your style. | The formula's content, maintained by the franchisor. | The provider's content. |
| Brand & theming | Your brand, your colours, a custom room theme and host character built for your venue. | The franchisor's brand and look. | Your own name is sometimes possible, within the provider's format. |
A general description of common models, not of any one provider. Terms change and differ per country; a franchise or licence can suit you better if you want a proven network behind you. Questions about how a specific offer compares? Ask us and we will go through it with you.
This is what exists today
Real photos from running QuizXarena rooms in the Netherlands. No renders, no mock-ups: this is what your guests would walk into.
What it could look like in your style
AI concept renders of the same room, dressed for five kinds of venue, each with its own show title and host character. Fictional venues, clearly marked as renders; your version is built on your brand.
Your own show, at the price of a standard room
We are past the start-up phase: five rooms live, First Five founding partners nearly full, and a market price for a custom show that is going up, not down. For venues we speak to around IAAPA 2026 we keep one door open: agree your room before 31 October 2026 and we design your own show theme and host character at standard package pricing.
Not a discount, and not a promise about your revenue. A launch window that closes, because from 2027 custom shows are priced as the premium work they are.
- Your room theme, show title and host character, designed with you
- All rotating editions included from day one
- Standard package pricing (€39,500 for 8 desks) and €1.75 per player, min. €295 a month
- Installation, configuration and training included
10+ years of quiz shows, from 15 to 3,000+ players
A comparison is only as good as the builder behind it. QuizX has produced live quiz shows for over ten years, for corporate nights, theatres, festivals and cruise ships, and distilled that into the Arena.
You are not buying hardware from a catalogue. You are buying a show that happens to come with hardware, and a team that keeps writing new ones.
Questions operators ask on the floor
Is QuizXarena a franchise?+
No. QuizXarena is a one-time purchase: you own the attraction and run it under your own brand. The ongoing fee for content, software and service is €1.75 per player with a minimum of €295 a month. No percentage of your revenue and no franchise entry fee.
How is QuizXarena different from other quiz rooms?+
QuizXarena is a TV-studio style room with 2 to 10+ desks, live camera, stage lighting and rotating show editions, written for mixed groups from age 4 to 80+, and themed to your venue. And you buy it instead of renting a brand or a licence.
Some licences also let me keep my own name. What is the difference?+
Your own name above the door is the start, not the end. With QuizXarena the room theme, the show and the host character are designed for your venue, the editions rotate with different formats rather than only new questions, and you buy the attraction instead of licensing it.
What does a QuizXarena cost?+
From €19,500 for a Starter room with 2 desks to €55,000+ for a Premium arena with 10+ desks and fully custom content. The most popular Standard package is €39,500 for 8 desks and 24 players in about 30 m². All prices exclude VAT and include installation, configuration and training. Ongoing: €1.75 per player, minimum €295 a month.
Can we see it live before we decide?+
Yes. Visit the showroom in The Hague or play in one of the live rooms in the Netherlands. A remote walk-through with a live camera in a running room is possible within a few days.
Do you install in the UK and Ireland?+
Yes. We install across Europe, either turnkey (we build the whole room) or as Arena Engine, where your own fit-out team builds the room to our spec and we deliver the technology, the shows and the training. The UK and Ireland are focus markets after IAAPA 2026.
