Minecraft to appear in real-world theme parks under new deal

Minecraft, the global gaming giant, is coming to the real world. After striking a deal with a theme park operator, the block-building phenomenon will appear in theme parks, hotels, and stores.

The deal between Minecraft creator Mojang Studios, owned by Microsoft, and UK-headquartered Merlin Entertainment is reportedly worth $110 million.

Merlin is Europe’s largest theme park operator – only Disney is larger globally. The company runs more than 130 attractions in 23 countries including Sea Life, Madame Tussauds, Peppa Pig World, Legoland, and Alton Towers.

At first, two Minecraft-themed attractions will be opened within existing theme parks in the United Kingdom and the United States in 2026 and 2027. Later, the partnership – called “Adventures Made Real” – is expected to expand to other countries.

Kayleen Walter, the vice president, franchise development, for gaming at Microsoft, said the aim was to “expand Minecraft beyond the game,” and Merlin “is everywhere physically.”

“Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, and this world-first will see fans experience its thrill and creativity in real life, at theme parks and city-center attractions in leading tourist destinations,” added Scott O’Neil, CEO of Merlin Entertainment.

The potential is there. Of course, there are already dozens of theme park attractions such as amusement rides, based on video game franchises like Pac-Man, Angry Birds, or Mario Kart.

But Minecraft is the bestselling video game of all time. Each month, 140 million people play it, even in Vatican City. Players have posted more than 1.3 trillion videos on YouTube.

In 2023, Minecraft became the first single video game to pass 300 million sales, well ahead of other top-selling titles including Grand Theft Auto V (205m), Nintendo’s Wii Sports (83m), and PUBG: Battlegrounds (75m).

AI agents also contribute to Minecraft’s success. Recently, more than 1,000 of them were given free rein to build Minecraft worlds together.

Run by California-based startup Altera, the project had AI agents collaborating to create virtual societies complete with their own governmental institutions, economy, culture, and religion.