How the Game Show Business Is Expanding and Diversifying

With streaming services now playing such a big part in our viewing habits, it’s easy to imagine that the traditional game show is a dying business. Yet, when we look more closely at this industry, we can see that these TV series are still going strong. Not only that, game shows are also expanding in a number of new ways that help them reach more people.

New Casino Games with Live Presenters

The new generation of online casino games includes classics such as roulette and blackjack but with a modern type of live-streaming presentation. This has introduced new versions of those games with additional features, as well as live games. These new games have a similar type of format but with gameplay that resembles popular TV shows.

The list of the current casino games includes game show-style versions like Crazy Time and Funky Time, which involve the presenter spinning a wheel to find out who wins. Crazy Coin Flip takes a different approach, by mixing slots gameplay with a coin-flipping bonus round. As new games are added by creators like Evolution and Pragmatic Play, we can expect to see the range of games carry on growing.

Diversifying the Game Shows on TV Is Risky

Classic game shows like The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune remain popular, but we’ve also seen the introduction of new types of game shows that bring in new rules, although with mixed results. For example, Moneyball is a British show hosted by Ian Wright that started in 2021 and received widespread praise. In With a Shout was one of the new shows in 2023 but the Joel Dommett-hosted programme received negative reviews for the chaotic format.

2023 also proved that game show formats from the past can be brought to life but there is some risk , as proven when Challenge Anneka returned to our screens. Originally shown in the 1908s and 90s, it featured Anneka Rice completing a task that she had no prior knowledge of. While the 2023 return was early awaited, poor viewing figures meant that the figure episodes were rescheduled for a later date.

So it seems that the timeless game shows that have been on our screens for years or even decades are still the big winners with audiences and bringing in new formats or reviving old favourites is difficult, although this hasn’t stopped Netflix from introducing a series of interesting new game shows. Our love of game shows is also leading to new ways of playing them that don’t involve sitting in front of the TV.

Escape Rooms and Local Game Show Venues

The days of waiting for your favourite game show to come on television are long gone. As well as playing online games like those we just looked at, you also have the option of looking for local venues where you can take part. The explosion of popularity in escape rooms could be seen as the possible starting point for this. Combining game show elements with themes including Dr Who and Sherlock Holmes, about 1,500 escape rooms had been created in the UK by 2019.  

A more recent development can be seen in Sheffield, where the Gameshow All-Stars venue recently opened and features six games that have been based on popular British TV shows including Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, with the company behind this enterprise already owning an escape room nearby. Groups of between two and 30 contestants can take part and if it proves successful, we can expect more of these venues to pop up across the country.

Crossing to the US for the next example, the newly-opened Game Show Battle Rooms venue in Denver reveals another direction this trend could take. It’s set up for groups ranging from eight to 64 people and above. With an emphasis on team-building and corporate days out, it has three games named Survey Battles, What’s That Cost, and Spin and Solve. Players then choose between a Classic Showdown and a Primetime Showdown.   

“Thanks for Playing the Game Show Show” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Kevin Standlee

Will Game Shows Continue to Be Big Business?

The way that game shows have reached into the different areas covered here suggests that they will continue to provide business opportunities. Even if our changing viewing habits eventually lead to these shows disappearing from our TV screen, playing these games is now such a big part of popular culture that they’re unlikely to go away altogether.