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Levelling up the layover.
Gameway is the world's first chain of video game and entertainment lounges located inside major airport terminals. Their gaming lounges offer the latest consoles, top game titles, and an immersive entertainment environment designed for every type of traveler, whether you have 30 minutes between connections or a four-hour delay.
Gameway came to us looking for a background music provider who could really understand the vibe of their venues. With very unique opening hours and customer demographics, they needed a solution that could be flexible and forward thinking.
In 2026, they launched Portal Lounge, their next-generation concept combining gaming, elevated food and beverage, a robotic bartender, and a premium lounge environment. Portal Lounge represents their vision for the future of airport hospitality: high-energy, technology-forward, and genuinely fun. Their background music provider needed to understand this vision and be up for the task of soundtracking these spaces with intention.
Within days of their enquiry, we sat down with Gameway to really dig into their brand - what makes a gaming lounge feel different from any other airport space, who their customers are, and what they wanted people to feel the moment they walked through the door.
From there, we started sending over sample playlists, and the back-and-forth began. Gameway gave us feedback, we refined, we sent more - round after round until we'd nailed a sound that matched their energy without ever feeling generic. That process mattered a lot here: with passengers dropping in for anywhere between 30 minutes and four hours, at all hours of the day, the music had to work as hard as the space itself.
Once we'd locked in the vibe, we took it off their hands entirely. Gameway's sites are now on Startle's managed music solution - every playlist centrally curated, monitored, and kept fresh, with regular updates rolling out across all locations without anyone at Gameway needing to lift a finger.
...every playlist centrally curated, monitored, and kept fresh, with regular updates rolling out across all locations without anyone at Gameway needing to lift a finger.
The sound at Gameway has a soulful core, with varying expressions scheduled across the day to hit different energy levels and objectives. At points the music turns laid-back and subtle, while other moments call for an injection of energy through layered house textures.
The result is a dynamic profile that ebbs and flows with the natural ambiance of the day, creating something that feels buoyant and attuned to each location.
Since launch, the music hasn't just filled Gameway’s spaces, it’s become part of their brand. As they roll out new lounges across airports worldwide, that's the part that matters most: every new site sounds like Gameway from the first track, no guesswork required.
Our pubs range from community pubs to hybrid high street venues in town centres, so each of them has a unique identity and needs entertainment and offers relevant to its local environment. It is vital that our suppliers can offer each pub a bespoke package to help them drive sales and become a go to destination. Startle helps each pub to deliver their message, their way. We are delighted to use them for our music, digital signage and sports promotion.
Operations Director
Book your free brand sound discovery call to see how Startle can transform your music and signage across all locations.
