Axa and Publicis Groupe Belgium turn school bullying into an escape game

Axa Insurance has worked with Publicis Groupe Belgium on ‘Escape Bullying’, an immersive escape game intended to help young people, parents and teachers spot and respond to bullying at school.

At the centre of the physical game is Sacha, aged 14, who finds his rucksack dumped in the school toilets. Players work backwards through key places, from the toilets to the changing rooms, the classroom and Sacha’s bedroom, discovering how an apparently harmless joke turned into sustained bullying.

The game, devised with Belgian anti-bullying group Kies Kleur tegen Pesten, relies on clues and puzzles to draw attention to warning signs and to what witnesses can do to step in. Axa says the project fits its wider focus on prevention and builds on its legal protection cover in Belgium, under which young bullying victims can already get psychological help.

“An escape game creates tension. It makes you feel stuck, with no obvious way out,” said Jonathan d’Oultremont, creative director at Publicis Groupe Belgium. “That’s exactly how bullying feels. We turned an invisible reality into a tangible experience. It may seem inescapable — until you find the keys.”

The installation, built with Let Me Out, will run for nine months. Axa has also created an online point-and-click version to reach people across the country, in which ordinary items in a teenager’s room uncover messages, rumours and group chat dynamics. Both versions finish with practical advice to help families, teachers and pupils start conversations and act on bullying sooner.

“As an insurer, we repair harm. But we also want to prevent it,” said Pauline Kinet, head of communication, brand and sustainability at Axa. “Escape Bullying gives families and schools practical keys to unlock dialogue early – before situations spiral – and to help young people break free.”