Put down the game controls and head to a park
Minecraft-themed experiences coming to the US and the UK
Mario and Donkey Kong will be leaping off the screen and taking up residence at Universal Orlando when Super Nintendo World, one of the five lands at the hugely anticipated Universal Epic Universe, opens in a couple of months. It will follow similar Nintendo lands at Universal’s parks in Japan and Hollywood and demonstrates the huge crossover appeal of real-world, video game-themed attractions. Now comes word that fans will be able to experience Minecraft, the most successful video game ever, in attractions slated to debut in 2026 or 2027 at two locations, one in the US and one in the UK.
Park chain Merlin Entertainments announced that the two projects would include a Minecraft-themed ride and other attractions as well as lodging, dining, and retail tie-ins with the game brand. The company says that it will be investing $110 million in the initial rollout and that it plans to develop additional locations in the future. While the investment is nothing to sneeze at, the budgeted price tag for each of the first two Minecraft experiences would seem to preclude standalone parks, which would cost considerably more to build. Instead, it’s likely that Merlin will be introducing new lands at two of its existing parks. There might not be enough allotted capital to build new hotels either. I’m guessing that the chain will be re-themeing rooms and suites at two of the hotels already in its portfolio.
“It’s very exciting,” remarked Scott O’Neil, Merlin Entertainments CEO, in an interview discussing the Minecraft partnership at the IAAPA Expo held last November in Orlando, Florida. When asked where gamers might expect to see the new attractions, he demurred and said that “there’s a lot of room in a lot of different places. We’re not ready to give a location yet.”
Operating in 97 cities Across 25 countries, Merlin Entertainments is the third largest theme park operator by attendance in the world. In the US, its properties include the Legoland and Peppa Pig parks. The three Legoland resorts in California, Florida, and New York all have on-site hotels making them candidates for the Minecraft introduction. Merlin parks in the UK include Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, and Legoland Windsor.
The Merlin Magic Making group, the company’s equivalent of Disney’s Imagineers, will be designing the attractions in conjunction with Mojang Studios, which creates Minecraft. According to the announcement, the attractions will include digitally enhanced experiences, which could indicate that they will incorporate augmented reality. AR is a great fit for game-themed attractions. Super Nintendo World’s Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is the first major park attraction to feature augmented reality, and it uses the media to stunning effect.
Minecraft boasts 300 million players globally. In addition to the new attractions, Mojang is leveraging its popularity with a Minecraft movie starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, and Kate McKinnon that is set to be released in April.
“Merlin's expertise in creating world-class attractions makes them the perfect partner to help us bring Minecraft to life in new and immersive ways,” says Kayleen Walters, Microsoft VP. “Our vast and diverse community is always looking for new opportunities to explore and engage with Minecraft, and we are thrilled to build touchpoints around the globe that will surprise and delight them.”
Other gaming franchises that have found their way into parks include Uncharted at PortAventura in Spain and Angry Birds World in Qatar. The Qiddiya City giga-project taking shape in Saudi Arabia, which will open a Six Flags park and the AquArabia water park this year, has announced that a Dragon Ball theme park is under development.
Are you or your kids Minecraft players? Would you (or your kids) be interested in real-world Minecraft attractions?
My kids have outgrown Minecraft (though they do dabble in Roblox on occasion). But I still like the idea of video game IPs as theme park attractions. The video game industry is now larger than the movie industry, so it makes sense for parks to tap into that if possible.
Of course, there are potential downsides to video game IPs. They can fall into and out of fashion more quickly than films, so care has to be taken in choosing well-established franchises. And they may not have as broad an appeal demographically. Whereas a Disney film is likely enjoyed by kids, adults, and even grandparents, a video game IP potentially narrows that audience base quite a bit.
Still, the right IP, in the right park - heck yeah, I'm all for it. I don't think there's any reason for a theme park to be bound by one form of media. I wish there were more rides based on musical acts (R.I.P Hard Rock Park). Television can be difficult due to the fickle nature of programming, but it's been done (Universal's Simpsons area, bringing TV IPs like The Walking Dead and Stranger Things into haunts at HHN). Basing attractions off books might be the biggest uphill climb, at least in terms of books that haven't already been adapted into films. Honorable mention to the Dr. Seuss area at Universal, maybe?