Game Show Studio Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Game Show Studio franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Game Show Studio discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Provides 2025 actual gross sales for 1 corporate and 6 franchised studios; corporate studio achieved $1.15M gross sales with $334.9K EBITDA. Limited franchisee performance data; most units showed variable ramp-up phase results.
What a Game Show Studio franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 10% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 12% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $230,000 – $500,500 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 10% (no minimum first 6 months, then $2K-$3K minimum). Multiple monthly fees: Software License $300/mo, Tech $500/mo, Managed Marketing $1K-$1.5K/mo, Brand Contribution 2% ($1K max). Minimum advertising $4K/mo or 10% gross revenue.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Game Show Studio system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 9 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
No terminations/failures reported; 8 new franchises opened 2025, all operating. No historical failure data available.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Game Show Studio worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 12% of sales | steeper than 90% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $230,000 | pricier than 68% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.5%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Game Show Studio
The franchisor's framing: Provides 2025 actual gross sales for 1 corporate and 6 franchised studios; corporate studi… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Game Show Studio franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Game Show Studio franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $230,000–$500,500, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Game Show Studio franchise owners make?
- Provides 2025 actual gross sales for 1 corporate and 6 franchised studios; corporate studio achieved $1.15M gross sales with $334.9K EBITDA. Limited franchisee performance data; most units showed variable ramp-up phase results. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Game Show Studio franchise fees?
- Game Show Studio's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 10% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 12% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 10% (no minimum first 6 months, then $2K-$3K minimum). Multiple monthly fees: Software License $300/mo, Tech $500/mo, Managed Marketing $1K-$1.5K/mo, Brand Contribution 2% ($1K max). Minimum advertising $4K/mo or 10% gross revenue.
- What is the Game Show Studio franchise profit margin?
- Game Show Studio does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Provides 2025 actual gross sales for 1 corporate and 6 franchised studios; corporate studio achieved $1.15M gross sales with $334.9K EBITDA. Limited franchisee performance data; most units showed variable ramp-up phase results. Recurring fees alone take about 12% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Game Show Studio franchise failure rate?
- No terminations/failures reported; 8 new franchises opened 2025, all operating. No historical failure data available.
- How many Game Show Studio locations are there?
- Game Show Studio's FDD reports 9 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Game Show Studio have complaints or lawsuits?
- Game Show Studio discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Game Show Studio franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Game Show Studio scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 12% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Game Show Studio to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Game Show Studio or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.