(AFP / ROBYN BECK)
British entertainment company Merlin Entertainments, which operates numerous theme parks around the world, announced Tuesday that it will develop attractions themed to the blockbuster video game Minecraft, the first of which will be in the United States and the United Kingdom. -United.
In a press release, the group indicated that it had entered into a “strategic global partnership” with the studio Mojang, creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history.
“This collaboration will bring Minecraft adventures to life in the real world through immersive and interactive entertainment attractions,” detailed Merlin Entertainments.
The first two attractions will open “between 2026 and 2027” in sites already managed by Merlin in the United States and the United Kingdom, thanks to an investment of 85 million pounds (nearly 102 million euros) from the band.
They will be accompanied by accommodation, shops and places to eat on the theme of video games.
In the longer term, the group plans to install other attractions elsewhere in the world.
This is the first partnership concluded by Merlin with a video game player.
Minecraft, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last May, was born from the imagination of Swede Markus “Notch” Persson. With more than 300 million copies sold by the end of 2023, it remains the best-selling video game in history.
Merlin was bought in 2019 by a consortium including the Kristiansen family, which controls the Lego group.
The company notably manages the London Eye in London, the Madame Tussauds wax museums and Legoland parks around the world, as well as several parks based around the children’s cartoon character Peppa Pig.
