Chuck E. Cheese is banking on a heavy dose of nostalgia and a sprinkle of adult competitiveness with its latest move into the television game show arena. Teaming up with the producers behind hit shows like "Top Chef" and "Nailed It!," the kid-friendly pizza chain is about to serve up a new kind of entertainment – and from the looks of it, the stakes are as high as a skeeball score.
Magical Elves, an expert in crafting competition-fueled TV shows, is on board to create "Chuck E. Cheese Arcade Heroes." Letting grown-ups unleash their inner child on a battlefield of super-sized arcade classics. Yes, that sounds like a daydream of any 90s kid come to life – a chance to conquer whack-a-mole giants and be crowned the hero of a colossal claw machine, according to NBC DFW.
The dynamic of this new series hinges on pairs of adults – cheekily dubbed "big kids" – duking it out in gargantuan versions of arcade mainstays, from pinball to air hockey. Magical Elves co-CEOs Jo Sharon and Casey Kriley claimed, "Chuck E. Cheese is THE place where a kid can be a kid — but as grown adults, we still have dreams of ruling the arcade, taking on the iconic games we love. We're excited to celebrate these legendary arcade games plus the best of today, all with a super-sized twist", as per NBC DFW.
Adding extra pepperoni to the pie is Chuck E. Cheese's move to retire its band of animatronic critters last year, so bringing its brand to television might just be the golden ticket to keeping the spirit alive. Melissa McLeanas, VP of Global Licensing, Media, and Branded Entertainment Development of Chuck E. Cheese, gushed to CW33, "With a legacy spanning over four decades, Chuck E. Cheese has been an integral part of the family experience for both kids and adults across the world. We are thrilled to be working with Magical Elves, whose deep expertise in unscripted content make them the perfect partner to capture the wholesome competitive spirit tied to childhood memories and transform the Chuck E. Cheese experience for television."
While no air date is carved in cheese yet, it's clear Chuck E. Cheese isn't playing around when it comes to expanding its brand beyond the ball pits and into the realm of prime-time TV. Stay tuned for more on when you can catch adults reliving their glory days, one super-sized game of skeeball at a time.
