Level99 Transforms West Hartford Venue with Immersive Global Murals Ahead of Fall Opening

When Level99 swings open its doors at The Corbin Collection in West Hartford later this fall, visitors stepping into the massive 43,000-square-foot social gaming venue won’t just find a collection of physical and mental challenge rooms. They’ll walk into a living, breathing gallery.

As we-ha.com reported, the immersive attraction has partnered with 25 visual artists from across the globe to cover its previously blank walls with 32 pieces of original artwork.

Behind the venture stands CEO and founder Matt DuPlessie, an engineer and MIT and Harvard Business School graduate whose résumé includes stints at Disney, Universal Studios, and founding the interactive entertainment company 5 Wits.

Backed by Act III Holdings—led by former Panera CEO Ron Shaich—the West Hartford facility marks the fifth location for Level99, following outposts in Natick, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; Tysons Corner, Virginia; and Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. Expansion plans are already locked in for Paramus, New Jersey; Raleigh, North Carolina; and King of Prussia, PA in 2027.

Global Artists Tackle Tight Indoor Spaces

Boston-based artist Blind Fox took on a corner assignment, crafting a 3D mural of a leopard lunging through a wall to hunt swallows. Nearby, London-based artist WOSKERSKI—who has spent three decades creating spray-painted backgrounds—opted for a surreal touch. He painted a giant fried egg hanging from a clothesline by wooden pegs, alongside a secondary paper-folding word design that transforms the word “Good” into “luck.”

Connecticut local representation anchors the project as well. Michael Rice, a Parkville resident known for his visible murals across Hartford and West Hartford schools, painted a magician breaking through the plane of a television screen. Sophy Tuttle leaned into the cosmos for her tunnel-like workspace, freehanding a mural inspired by the Draco Constellation featuring ultraviolet-reactive elements that shift colors under UV lighting.

Across from the adjoining restaurant space, Denver-based artist ILL.DES delivered an abstract geometric rendering of native Connecticut flora, featuring the state flower, the Mountain Laurel, and the Bluebell Bellflower.

A Playground Rooted in Social Play and Craft Beer

Beyond the walls, the venue is designed to accommodate up to 600 players in the main gaming arena at any given time. Teams of two to six people tackle more than 50 real-time, interactive physical and mental challenge rooms.

Level99 Transforms West Hartford Venue with Immersive Global Murals Ahead of Fall Opening — Photo: theconnecticutscoop.com

To keep players fueled, the facility includes the adjoining Two Roads Kitchen & Tap, a 250-seat counter-service restaurant operated in partnership with Stratford-based Two Roads Brewing. As The Connecticut Scoop noted, the taproom operates as a standalone space accessible to patrons who aren’t participating in the gaming challenges, and hiring for key hospitality and management roles is currently underway.

Instagram

The artwork serves more than a decorative purpose. Level99 has built an interactive element into the gallery space called “Hunt Art.” Players track down specific hidden objects known as Glyphs within the murals, scanning them at kiosks to earn Stars and climb the venue’s live leaderboards.

Operating hours are set for 11 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends, with doors closing at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 p.m. on weeknights. While the exact grand opening date remains to be officially announced, the arrival of the graphics package signals that the final touches are falling into place at 1445 New Britain Avenue.