Commit Chaos: Rik Stapelbroek of Prison Escape (S11E5)
From Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
May 5, 2026 · 1h 11m · Season 11 · Episode 5
About this episode
Rik Stapelbroek discusses the immersive experience of Prison Escape, a large-scale cinematic escape game.
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "I want to make things big and explosive." You've just been thrown in jail, locked up inside a massive prison complex in the Netherlands. Along with 125 other prisoners, you must scheme, bribe, blackmail, commit mayhem, and find your way out. This is Prison Escape, an immersive experience structured as a cinematic escape from prison. In 2025, Prison Escape ran 280 shows with an average player count of 125 participants. Approximately 22 of those shows were available in English. Prison Escape creator Rik Stapelbroek joins us on REPOD to talk about this remarkable experience. There are many paths through to the end, including sweet talking the guards, perhaps poisoning a few, or maybe you work together with other prisoners to start a riot. Rik walks us through some of the logistics of how they create different opportunities for each type of player to succeed. Rik has designed many types of interactions, from social manipulation style puzzles, to fact gathering missions so a player can contribute to a shared escape route map. He is also expanding their offerings online so more people can experience Prison Escape. This is an absolutely bonkers game, in…
People in this episode
Hosts: David Spira, Peih-Gee Law
Guest: Rik Stapelbroek
Topics covered
- immersive experience
- cinematic escape
- social manipulation
- large scale play
- puzzle design
Keywords
- Prison Escape
- immersive games
- escape rooms
- larps
- social puzzles
- player interaction
- game design
Sponsors
REA, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, Reality Escape Convention
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Netherlands
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- Live Cinema & Zone 51 with Rémy Strobbe (S11E8) · May 26, 2026 · 59 min
- Troy Armstrong: Sound Design, The Escape Game, & The Great Big Gameshow (S11E7) · May 19, 2026 · 1h 10m
- Imagineer & Puppeteer, Terri Hardin (S11E6) · May 12, 2026 · 1h 26m
- Room Escape Divas with Errol & Manda (S11E4) · April 28, 2026 · 1h 17m
- The Future of Storytelling with Charlie Melcher (S11E3) · April 21, 2026 · 1h 20m
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