“BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon” to Close at Horseshoe Per Internal Memo

By Scott Roeben, on August 05 2024
3 min read 15 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Shows

The co-founder of Battlebots, the beloved robot combat franchise, has pulled the plug on the “Battlebots Destruct-A-Thon” show (a live version of the popular TV series) per an internal communication to the Battlebots team.

The mayhem-fueled show happened in a structure on the land behind Horseshoe, just across the street from Ellis Island casino.

We got our hands exclusively on the internal communication nixing the show (described as a “hiatus”), as is our way.

It might seem like fun and games, but BattleBots requires knowledge in the disciplines of engineering, electronics, computer-aided design, physics and advanced nerdery.

As the plot of this show can be difficult to follow, here’s a promotional video.


Yeah, it’s cool.

The live version of Battlebots opened in Las Vegas in February 2023. The show’s final performance will be August 10, 2024.

As mentioned, the show happens in the Caesars Entertainment Studios at Horseshoe, a thing you may not have known exists. We are very familiar with the venue because it housed a taping of “Catch 21” for the Gameshow network, a show where we crushed our opponents like SawBlaze taking down Upper Cut in 2020. Don’t laugh, we won $5,000 despite sweating through our clothing because we were not allowed to wear our own shirt because the color clashed with the hostesses dress. Long story.

“Battlebots Destruct-A-Thon” was scheduled to run through December 2024. Now, not so much.

Here’s the memo received by members of the BattleBot team from co-founder Trey Roski.

This memo feels very personal and confidential. So, of course, we’re sharing it.

The struggle is real. We blame F1. Then again, we blame F1 for global warming and causing post-pandemic economic tailwinds to fade, too. Pretty much everything. Including our increasing number of ear hairs. What the hell, though?

To  add insult to injury, we’re hearing Caesars Entertainment may use the BattleBot building for F1-related events. Awkward.

Typically, when a Las Vegas show says they’re on “hiatus,” they never come back. It’s harder to say with Battlebots.

Roski is transparent about the challenges facing the production. He specifically mentions access to the facility will be closed off during F1 (everyone along the track suffers, except for a handful of casinos on The Strip). He also says the show “hasn’t broken even for some time.”

He also says the company’s previous network, Discovery (ABC and Comedy Central prior to that), is having a tough time of it as well. We blame F1.

Roski also mentions the company got their liquor license last week. Painful, as that’s how many shows stay afloat in Las Vegas, booze and concession sales.

We didn’t get to see “BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon,” but it always seemed like a hoot.

Here’s hoping things will turn around for BattleBots and the robots can return to their proper place. As our overlords. Obviously.

Update (8/19/24): BattleBots is back, according to a post on Facebook. Here’s an excerpt: “BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon, the explosive live Vegas robot combat show, today announced that that it will be returning from its current summer hiatus with a thrilling new format for the popular show and an exciting new robot fighting competition featuring star BattleBots teams from all over the United States. The new show format will be a major reworking of the successful stage show, which recently completed over 300 performances since it first smashed and exploded its way onto the Vegas scene at the start of 2023. It will feature more intense battles, drama, and increased jeopardy.” The news release continues: “In addition to the revamped live show, BattleBots also announced that many weekend performances of Destruct-A-Thon will include the new Fall FaceOff competition, featuring robots and teams from all over the United States, including many faces made famous by the BattleBots TV shows. The FaceOffs see four robots competing each weekend in a round robin competition. The fights will be shown on BattleBots’ hugely popular YouTube channel, enabling millions of viewers all over the world to stream and see the latest developments in robot combat. These FaceOffs will serve as pre-qualifying matches for the upcoming BattleBots World Championships, slated for filming in Las Vegas early 2025.”