ANVIO’s Financial Model for VR Clubs: How to Build a Successful Business

ANVIO VR CEO Konstantin Tonkikh shared insights into business formats in the VR entertainment sector and introduced a new interactive financial model developed by ANVIO.

Virtual Reality (VR) continues to gain popularity, attracting both gaming enthusiasts and entrepreneurs looking to enter this promising market. However, building a successful VR club requires more than just technical equipment and captivating content—it demands a well-designed financial model. ANVIO has created an interactive financial model that assists in resource planning, revenue forecasting, and cost optimization.

Konstantin Tonkikh, CEO of ANVIO VR, brings over 20 years of experience managing international and technological projects. He has held key roles in initiatives in partnership with the Russian eSports Federation and the ESforce Holding. Additionally, he contributed to the launch of Yota Arena, one of the largest esports venues in Russia.

Nowadays, we often hear from entrepreneurs interested in opening their own virtual reality (VR) club. However, many of them lack a clear understanding of which VR club layout suits them best, what investments are required, and how to properly evaluate profitability. The ANVIO financial model helps assess the potential profitability and efficiency of a project in advance. It calculates key metrics such as investment volume, revenue, profitability, payback period, staff size, average ticket price, and other important indicators. This enables entrepreneurs to make informed decisions and minimize risks.

ANVIO’s financial model is designed in an interactive format, making it quick and convenient to simulate various scenarios. For instance, users can adjust parameters like the number of gaming zones, rental costs per square meter, or average ticket prices. This makes it possible to analyze the impact of changes on revenue, cash flows, and to calculate the break-even point as well as net profit.

We recommend that entrepreneurs use this model and pay attention to other critical metrics, such as customer retention, service quality, and staff efficiency. These factors must be considered to make data-driven management decisions effectively.

Let’s explore different formats of VR clubs for businesses in the VR entertainment sector. One of the most common formats in the past was a VR club with a single gaming arena. For this setup, we recommend using arenas of around 100 square meters, which provide enough space for players to move freely (free-roam VR). These clubs are often complemented by lounge areas, making them attractive for hosting events and offering a comfortable place to relax.

This format gained popularity in the early years of the VR industry due to its accessibility and relatively small space requirements, around 150 square meters for the entire club. We started with this format ourselves back in 2017. At that time, we had a single 10×15-meter arena. Sessions lasted 45 minutes, including time for equipment setup, briefing, and gameplay.

However, despite its popularity, the single-arena VR club model has its limitations. The main drawback is its low capacity—one arena can serve a very limited number of players within a given timeframe. During peak hours and days, this results in lost opportunities for revenue. You can compare this to a small movie theater with a limited number of seats.

Overall, in the VR entertainment industry, low capacity is one of the main challenges. In traditional VR games, where players mostly remain in one place during gameplay, they occupy a relatively small area—about 3 square meters per person. However, in free-roam games that we develop, the entire gaming space is actively utilized: players not only walk but also run, and sometimes even crawl in games that include elements of height-induced fear. As a result, the required space increases significantly. For example, in a 100-square-meter arena, up to 6 players can play simultaneously. While this lowers capacity, it enables the creation of a unique gameplay experience that attracts customers and justifies the higher price of the game.

We recommend using large 10×10 meter arenas as the primary feature of a VR club. Our network includes successful examples of clubs with a single arena: the first ANVIO club in Moscow, a club in Volgograd, as well as popular locations within our international network in São Paulo, South Carolina, Saudi Arabia, and others.

However, such clubs have fairly high requirements. It is important to choose the rented space correctly to ensure an optimal ratio between rent and revenue. Consistently high occupancy, especially during peak hours, and effective marketing are crucial. By meeting these conditions, it is possible to achieve the planned profitability targets.

The best location for a VR club with a single arena is shopping and entertainment centers or standalone buildings with good foot traffic and accessibility. Opening a VR club in this format will cost approximately $20,000. The minimum staff is 4 people, the launch time is at least one month, and the payback period is about 12 months.

As I mentioned, the club’s maximum occupancy occurs during peak hours—on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. During these periods, demand is high, and most tickets are usually purchased in advance. However, at other times, occupancy can be as low as 10−15% of the maximum, which reduces overall profitability.

We faced this issue ourselves and, a year after launching the first club, decided to expand by adding a second gaming zone. This allowed us to double revenue during peak hours. To increase efficiency, we also optimized the format: we reduced the area of the arenas from 150 to 100 square meters and shortened session durations from 45 to 30 minutes. This made it possible to hold more sessions in the same time frame, significantly improving the space utilization rate.

A year later, we added a 5×5 meter gaming area to the location. Small arenas help serve a larger number of customers in a shorter time, operating in parallel with the 100-square-meter areas. For example, during birthdays or corporate events, when it’s important to accommodate as many participants as possible within the allotted time. Popular VR games from Steam, Meta, and other libraries can and should be installed on smaller areas, expanding the game selection.

In addition to adding gaming arenas, we developed a series of team-based games specifically for this format. Despite their compact size—four times smaller than the 100-square-meter arenas—each area accommodates up to 4 players who actively interact with each other during the game. Sessions in these arenas last 15 minutes, which helps increase the VR club’s throughput.

A lounge area for events is an essential part of a modern VR club. This space is perfect for hosting birthdays, corporate events, and other important occasions, providing everything needed for a comfortable experience. Thanks to a combination of diverse gaming and relaxation areas, such a location becomes a full-fledged VR park.

We ourselves went through this stage. As with any young business, the need for scaling arises as growth occurs. The next step was to increase the club’s capacity to serve as many people as possible in a given time. This is why the VR park format became our next project.

A VR park is a variety of gaming zones and VR attractions that provide a high level of monetization. Here, we can offer different entertainment formats for all categories of visitors, ranging from short gaming sessions to longer ones, with gaming areas of various sizes. This concept is especially attractive for hosting events and eSports competitions.

A VR park can range in size from 300 to 1000 square meters and includes several zones, where both individual and group gaming spaces can be found. The revenue structure of a VR park resembles the model of a family entertainment center: the variety of services allows for attracting a broad audience. Our park has three types of gaming zones: large 10×10 meter arenas, compact 5×5 meter arenas, and VR attractions.

VR attractions are dynamic platforms that create the effect of overloads during turns and sharp maneuvers, synchronizing movements with the virtual reality displayed in the headset. Thanks to this combination of technologies, visitors get truly vivid and unforgettable experiences.

The attraction zone should be located at the entrance to the VR park, as it effectively attracts customers. The optimal number of VR attractions is at least four. We have confirmed this through our own experience: we initially installed two attractions at the entrance to the ANVIO park in the Central Children’s Store in Moscow, later adding three more and noticing a significant improvement in performance. Attractions work better in a group, creating an atmosphere of fun and variety. Their high profitability is due to the average game duration of 5−10 minutes, making attractions leaders in revenue per unit of time.

The standard VR park setup also includes a reception area for the administrator. This is where customers can pay for their games, ask questions, get information about prices, gaming formats, events, and visitation rules.

Don’t forget about lockers for storing valuables, clothing storage cabinets, and a waiting area where visitors can comfortably spend time before their game, while parents accompanying children can conveniently wait for the session to finish, observing the process. Additionally, we recommend having at least one lounge area for 12−16 people, which will serve as a venue for events. With proper organization and the launch of appropriate advertising campaigns, at least 30% of the park’s revenue comes from hosting birthday parties and corporate events.

A fully operational VR park requires a team of at least 10 employees. The launch of such a project takes no less than three months, and the payback period usually starts from one and a half years.

The financial model from ANVIO allows you to calculate the revenue structure with key elements for any type of VR location. Based on our experience, the revenue distribution in a VR park looks as follows: about 40% of the income comes from sessions in large arenas, while events also play a significant role, contributing at least another 30%. The remaining income is generated from short gaming sessions and VR attractions.

Short sessions on small areas and attractions work well for walk-in customers, but visitors rarely come solely for them. It is the combination of different formats—large arenas, team games, and attractions—that makes the VR park a more stable and profitable business.

Although business models may be similar across different VR companies, the key differences lie in the efficiency of space utilization. Our approach focuses on increasing capacity and optimal square meter occupancy. The ANVIO game lineup covers the main formats of small and large arenas, while the PvP shooter game constructor, Revolta, allows for the creation of any game levels for areas ranging from 16 to 400 square meters.

In Russia, many companies have released VR shooters for large areas (up to 300 square meters), replicating the laser tag concept, with one game session for 6−8 people per hour. At ANVIO, on the same space, we can serve four times as many players in the same amount of time by dividing it into three gaming zones of 100 square meters each and optimizing session times to 30 minutes.

The most stable and effective business format is the VR park. It combines a wide range of entertainment options, attracts various types of customers, offers diverse game formats, and ensures high levels of monetization. However, VR parks require significant initial investments, and the area of such projects ranges from 300 to 1000 square meters.

A venue with two large arenas, one small arena, and a lounge zone can already be considered an effective format. We recommend complementing the small play areas not only with ANVIO games but also with popular VR games from Steam or other VR platforms. This expands the selection and makes the club attractive to different categories of visitors.

ANVIO games are designed to maximize the use of every part of the space. Even in small 25 square meter areas, our games effectively use all available space, creating an environment for team interaction. These moments, where people crawl, run, scream, and fully immerse themselves in the game world, serve as advertisement and generate the bulk of the revenue.

Our key approach is to create an exciting gaming experience that cannot be replicated at home. Active and team-based games with movement elements offer a unique experience that attracts customers willing to pay for quality. The ANVIO financial model allows for detailed calculations of key parameters, such as profitability, payback period, and optimal space utilization, helping entrepreneurs make informed decisions and minimize risks. Regardless of the format—whether it's a club with a single arena or a larger VR park—proper calculations ensure stable profitability and efficient resource management.