The ‘Chuck E. Cheese’ Game Show Sounds Like a ‘90s Kid Fever Dream

Following the trend of making literally anything and everything into a movie or a reality show, the family entertainment center chain Chuck E. Cheese is morphing into a game show. Meanwhile, it’s already starting to sound a lot like a ’90s kid fever dream.

Chuck E. Cheese has quite a strange legacy for ’80s and ’90s kids, as our perceptions of the place have likely changed over time. As children, there was likely no more extraordinary place on Earth. It even advertised itself as the sole place where a kid could genuinely “be a kid.” Indeed, it had pretty much everything a kid could want: tube crawls, ball pits, pizza, animatronics, and a whole wall of prizes that broke five seconds after playing with them.

I can even still recall when its arcades used actual tokens instead of those little loaded game cards. Chuck E. Cheese tokens were like children’s gold. It was years before I finally stopped finding those things mixed in with my loose change stash.

Then, as adults, we inevitably realized the only reason we spent every single birthday at Chuck E. Cheese was that it was the most affordable and effortless party venue with its subpar pizza, creepy animatronics, and an overcrowded, pizza-grease-stained arcade filled with screaming and vomiting kids.

Now, it’s one of the most well-known secrets that the horror game series Five Nights at Freddy’s was inspired by Chuck E. Cheese, and it always gives us a bit of a start when we remember that there are actually still a couple of Chuck E. Cheese locations open. Soon, the franchise’s legacy will manage to become even weirder, with an upcoming game show.

A Chuck E. Cheese game show is officially in development

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Magical Elves is developing a Chuck E. Cheese game show called Chuck E. Cheese: Arcade Heroes. Magical Elves is the company behind the hit reality shows Top Chef and Nailed It! Meanwhile, the game show has been garnering comparisons to Squid Game, as it will see adult contestants competing in children’s arcade games in what some might argue is a dystopian setting. However, all the games, including arcade staples like the claw and pinball machines, will be super-sized. According to THR, the official synopsis reads:

The format will feature stand-alone comedic physical challenges where duos of ‘big kids’ (aka adults) will compete over supersized arcade games — including pinball, air hockey, alley roller and the human claw. The top ticket earning duo will get the chance to exchange their tickets for prizes off the massive version of the iconic Chuck E. Cheese prize wall.

Chuck E. Cheese VP Melissa McLeanas released a statement expressing the company’s eagerness to work with Magical Elves and providing a bit more insight into the goals of the show. She stated, “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.”

Given that the show is still in early development, it doesn’t have a confirmed release date. Viewers shouldn’t expect it until at least 2025, given that it was just announced and has not even started the casting or filming process yet. More details should be forthcoming as the show approaches production.

(featured image: Justin Sullivan / Getty)