Gaming

Ubisoft will explore creating a theme park based on games like 'Assassin's Creed'

Allowing fans to LARP through theme park worlds could induce stronger attachments to its franchises.

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Ubisoft this week announced a partnership with Storyland Studios to evaluate the possibility of creating a “full-scale Ubisoft theme park” based on the French developer’s popular brands. Storyland Studios has worked on other theme park projects including Universal Studios and Legoland.

Theme Park Insider first reported on the news, and spoke to Storyland Studios chief Ben Thompson, who described Ubisoft’s franchises, like Assassin’s Creed, as being “iconic and globally recognizable.” Which is probably the bare minimum for a theme park, if you ask us.

A virtuous cycle — A theme park could help Ubisoft create stronger connections and love for its brands. LARPing through theme park worlds allows fans to create lasting memories around their favorite titles, which could lead them to be even more loyal and continue buying new games.

Expect a lot of this.Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

At some point, Ubisoft could be like Disney: the park draws in guests who end up seeing promotions for its latest games, while the games bring guests to the park, and so the cycle continues. The theme park is a sales outlet for games; this cycle is a well-oiled machine for Disney with its parks.

Another company that has been dabbling in theme parks? Nintendo, which has begun opening a series of “Super Nintendo World” parks from Japan to Florida. Its latest park opened in Japan earlier this year.

Second time’s the charm? — Ubisoft previously said in 2015 that it would open a “next-generation” theme park in Malaysia, only to squash the idea for being a complex project. The company now says that it learned a lot from that experience that it will apply to the new project.

Ubisoft has tasked Storyland Studios with creating a “pitch” for a potential park, so it will likely be quite some time before it actually sees the light of day — if it ever does.