Admittedly, not every video game world would be fun to explore IRL. “Silent Hill?” No, thank you.
But for theme parks, beloved video games offer new IPs to mine for guest dollars:
- Comcast saw theme park revenue increase 12.2% in Q4 of 2023, driven by Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood and Japan.
And speaking of mining, “Minecraft” is coming to the real world via a $110m+ partnership with UK-based Merlin Entertainments, which operates 135+ attractions across 23 countries.
This initial deal includes two attractions — either new or additions to existing ones — planned to open in the UK and US in 2026 and 2027, respectively, per The Guardian. The partnership will later expand globally.
Why “Minecraft”?
Disney CEO Bob Iger has been bullish on IPs over original stories as theme park moneymakers. And with video game IPs taking off and transcending mediums — “The Last of Us,” “The Witcher,” “Fallout” — “Minecraft” seems like a lucrative choice:
- It’s the No. 2 bestselling video game of all time, with 300m+ copies sold, and beaten only by “Tetris” with 520m copies sold.
- However, “Tetris” has sold multiple editions since debuting in 1984, whereas “Minecraft” is a single game developed by Swedish programmer Markus “Notch” Persson in 2009.
- Microsoft acquired the game for $2.5B in 2014, and its sprawling empire now includes loads of media and merch, including a movie starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black due next spring.
Plus, it’s versatile. Merlin also operates Legoland, and much like Lego, “Minecraft” is simple and endlessly playable, allowing players to create whatever they want, alone or with others.
There are myriad directions a theme park designer could go to attract both new and returning guests.
But temper your expectations: A $110m+ budget for two parks is low. Universal Studios Japan spent $578m+ on its Super Nintendo World, while Universal Studios Hollywood spent $275m on its Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion — half the size of the Orlando park’s.
