Gel Blaster is heralding a new era of first-person shooter gaming with its latest ground-breaking innovation, Gel Blaster Nexus. Steve Starobinsky, Senior Vice President of Trends and New Markets, tells us why it is the perfect projectile for maximum fun.
ACHIEVING AN EPIC VICTORY
At some point in everyone’s lives, they will have experienced the unadulterated joy of launching pellets, paint, or foam darts at high speeds toward their friends.
Indeed, interactive gaming has been a mainstay of the entertainment landscape for decades, with close-quarters combat (CQC) remaining a firm favorite pastime for players across the world.
The latest evolution in the CQC realm, gel blasting offers a vibrant alternative to hard, painful pellets, as it fires small gel beads at the opponent that burst upon impact, creating endless enjoyment.
At the forefront of the interactive entertainment industry and growing CQC market is Gel Blaster, founded in Austin, Texas and launched on global crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter, in 2019.
The company, and its inventive product of the same name, soon grew to become an international phenomenon, as the fast-paced and mess-free Gel Blaster skyrocketed to the top of the gaming industry.
“We are the top market share brand in this new and exciting category that lives between foam darts and paintball,” opens Steve Starobinsky, Senior Vice President of Trends and New Markets.
ULTIMATE FEC EXPERIENCE
Gel Blaster’s latest frontier comes in the form of the Gel Blaster Nexus (Nexus), which combines all the best parts of video games, laser tag, and paintball to create an unmatched, high-adrenaline experience.
This evolution blends seamlessly into the interactive gaming market and is the perfect transition into the future, particularly as the family entertainment center (FEC) industry stagnates.
“After disrupting the foam darts business, we set our sights on laser tag. However, this attraction has become tired and FECs have seen a plateau or decline in revenue and throughput,” informs Starobinsky.
“Because our play pattern works in a similar black-lit arena environment, FECs can easily install our new digitally scored attraction with the excitement of physical projectiles.”
Additionally, as the company’s patented technology uses infrared lasers as a co-witnessing methodology, Nexus can also be used for laser tag by turning off the physical projectiles when younger consumers want to play, making the game suitable for a vast range of ages.
“It is innovative because we are offering consumers not only the future of gaming at their location center, but also the incumbent laser tag that is included in our hardware.”
Nexus was first launched across Main Event restaurant sites, now owned by Dave & Busters, who have seen the game’s vision from day one.
“They have been incredible to work with and kept us focused and disciplined to make sure we worked through all the unknowns and created operational efficiencies and, ultimately, excellence,” prides Starobinsky.
Gel Blaster has also partnered with RPM Games, Lark, Golfland, and numerous other chains and independently owned FECs, theme parks, casinos, and malls.
“We are the top market share brand in this new and exciting category that lives between foam darts and paintball”
Steve Starobinsky, Senior Vice President of Trends and New Markets, Gel Blaster
A REAL-LIFE VIDEO GAME
- Video game experience – Players can climb leaderboards, gain power-ups, and compete with friends, replicating the modern-day video game experience.
- Physical projectiles – Nexus leverages water bead ammunition that bursts upon impact. This creates a high-stakes environment, making each battle even more exciting.
- Customer repeatability – Players can create their own profiles and avatars to grow their stats over time.
- Extensive gaming library – Continuous updates to game modes and the introduction of new features keep customers’ gameplay fresh.
PHYSICAL THRILL, CUTTING-EDGE TECH
Although Gel Blaster has created something that feels completely new, Nexus still retains the familiar video game style and subsequently has a massive available market.
In order to combine the physical thrill of blaster gameplay with the digital precision of video gaming, the company deployed all the most common things found in first-person shooter (FPS) video games such as loadouts, power-ups, statuses, ranks, and more for an exhilarating real-world experience.
“Each consumer experiences the rush and adrenaline of physical glowing projectiles whizzing by them and hitting them for a real-world sensation, but not enough to actually damage skin like other projectile sports,” details Starobinsky.
Moreover, similar to video games, all player movements and scores are tracked under an ID and avatar. As a result, the more customers play, the more they unlock new upgrades, blasters, and power-ups.
“We have seen how this familiar play pattern allows for immediate multi-generational adoption where the entire family is playing together, bringing a whole new meaning to ‘family feud’,” he adds.
Going forward, Gel Blaster hopes to continue its trajectory of success, as evidenced by the tremendous results it has experienced from beta partners.
Thus, implementing Nexus nationwide is the company’s top priority as it aspires to be available in 35 US locations by the end of 2024.
Gel Blaster will also launch its first European location together with The Playground, based in Prague, Czech Republic, by the end of the year.
“In future, gamers will not play with a controller, mouse, or keyboard, but rather their entire body. We see Nexus becoming a future sport with spectators, celebrity superstar teams, and global championships. This is just the beginning!” Starobinsky excitedly closes.
EPIC, MESS-FREE BATTLES
Each of Gel Blaster’s state-of-the-art blasters offers the ultimate battle experience, as the specialized motor drives ‘gellets’ – specially-made water beads – at 150 to 250 feet per second, surpassing other offerings on the market.
Gellets expand in water in just two hours, holding the water for months and allowing uninterrupted fun. They also maintain their integrity and do not explode upon impact, letting players blast wherever their gameplay takes them.
A top-of-the-range gellet requires a state-of-the-art blaster. Thankfully, Nexus’ built-in battery lasts for up to four hours, making it an unparalleled gaming machine.
