Hiya Thrill Seekers,
With theme parks eager to seize the initiative for any Intellectual 
Property that becomes popular (See Avatar and Potter) it got us thinking about the massive video games industry and could there be an opportunity for someone?
Grand Theft Auto V, for example made an amazing $800 million in the first 24 hours of launch, if that doesn’t scream popular then nothing will. Now I’m not suggesting one of our partners opens a land dedicated to GTA but would they be missing a trick if they didn’t at least consider video games in the same way they look at films?
Perhaps some parks are already doing this? Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights this year featured a house based on a computer game, Resident Evil, some of you may point to the fact it was also a film but the house concept itself didn’t concentrate on the movie but stuck to the roots and placed you inside the video game! Kennedy Space Center has already launched its Angry Birds encounter based around the popular game.
We took a look at some of the top games of 2013 and tried to pick out which of them could be a dream fit for Orlando Theme Parks.
Assassin’s Creed
Not a child friendly name granted, but the story behind the title might just be a perfect match. Very basically in Assassin’s Creed the gamer takes control of a character who through artificial intelligence can be placed anywhere in time to live out a story as part of the Assassin’s guild.
With the trend in 3D generated attractions so popular at the moment this title lends itself perfectly to the phase and might allow a park to pick up a certain amount of cool points.
Perfect for? – Universal Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios are probably the only parks that could get away with this title.
Mario
Everyone knows who Mario is, he’s the small Italian plumber who has appeared in over 200 Nintendo games across the World. Most of Mario’s games are based around him rescuing Princess Peach from the evil Bowser.
I could see Mario being an entire land and incorporating a multitude of Nintendo characters.
Perfect for? – Very much aimed at children, in an ideal World it would be perfect for either Disney or LEGOLAND Florida.
Temple Run
The mobile first game built around the idea of an Indiana Jones type character claiming an ancient artifact which then triggers traps that must be outrun is being turned in to a Film!
If its good enough to be turned into a film then its definitely good enough for a Theme Park and with such a great visual IP it could be a perfect match for a jungle or safari type land.
Perfect for? – Busch Gardens Tampa or perhaps Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
I could go on for a lot longer than you’re willing to read naming games that would make great lands but I wont. With the popularity of gaming its only a matter of time until we see lands based on popular titles, perhaps even connecting the two so that even when you’ve completed the game on your console additional material would be available at the park!
Is their a game you’d like to see turned in to a theme park land?
Smiles included…
Jamie
