Disney filed a Notice of Commencement this week for construction of Level99, which will replace the NBA Experience at Disney Springs.
Level99 Construction Beginning Soon
The permit lists the address 1486 E Buena Vista Dr at Disney Springs. It’s for “General Construction/Demo” and the contractor is Adena Corporation. Adena has worked with Disney before and has extensive theme park experience. The permit expires in one year so construction will likely begin imminently.
Though Level99 is not in a Disney theme park, it will be an interactive gaming experience with over 60 “challenge rooms” and “duels.” This will be Level99’s fifth and largest venue. Founded by CEO Matthew DuPlessie, the first Level99 opened at Natick Mall in Massachusetts in 2021. A second location is at Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island. Two more locations are coming soon to Tysons Corner Center in Virginia and The Corbin Collection in Connecticut, suggesting the Disney Springs location will open later.
Disney announced their Level99 location in February, selecting it “after a comprehensive review of the location-based entertainment industry.” It will be 45,000 square feet and host upwards of 1,000 players at a time.
The adult-oriented experience will include a two-story bar serving handcrafted cocktails and local beers, as well as a chef-crafted menu with Detroit-style pizza.
Level99 takes over the former NBA Experience and DisneyQuest space on the West Side of Disney Springs. DisneyQuest operated at Disney Springs for over 15 years before closing in July 2017.
The DisneyQuest building was demolished and a new building was constructed for the NBA Experience, which opened in August 2019. The NBA Experience was not well received and ultimately only operated until March 2020. At that time, Disney Springs closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Disney Springs reopened a few months later, the NBA Experience remained shuttered and all Cast Members were laid off. Disney announced over a year later that the NBA Experience would never reopen.
The building has mostly sat empty since then. In 2022, it hosted a limited-time “Star Wars” VR experience. In February 2024, Disney filed a permit for demolition at the building. They later removed some decorative elements from the exterior.
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