coasterboy
Mega Poster
Variety are saying $70 million, which works out to around £50 million - https://variety.com/2026/gaming/new...pening-2027-first-look-70-million-1236695555/
FORUMS - COASTERFORCE
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Chessington World of Adventures | Unknown | Intamin Unknown | 2027
- Thread starter Matt N
- Start date
Variety are saying $70 million, which works out to around £50 million - https://variety.com/2026/gaming/new...pening-2027-first-look-70-million-1236695555/
CineramaMax
Mega Poster
Now confirmed by CEO Fiona Eastwood on her LinkedIn to have a £50 million budget. This is very likely to include marketing costs. Exciting times.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
£50M for the world though right, not just the ride... Minecraft is one of the biggest IPs in gaming, full stop. The highest selling and most played game in history. Not exactly 'massive' money for an entire area, not if they want to do an IP like minecraft any justice whatsoever.
MackMan
Mega Poster
Yeah this franchise is an absolute killer IP in my opinion, maybe the most relevant IP that Merlin have ever used. There is so many hardcore Minecraft fans, young to old. I would hope every penny is spent in making the theming a step above the usual.
I do think this might be a massive thing for Chessington, I could imagine maybe even some tourists staying in London would be drawn into a Minecraft Land. Merlin have used so many niche and headscratchingly unnecessarily IP's, this is by contrast incredibly smart.
I do think this might be a massive thing for Chessington, I could imagine maybe even some tourists staying in London would be drawn into a Minecraft Land. Merlin have used so many niche and headscratchingly unnecessarily IP's, this is by contrast incredibly smart.
CineramaMax
Mega Poster
£50 million is still very impressive for a European park, the theming that's been teased so far does look pretty darn cool for Merlin. We can't really expect hundreds of millions for a single themed land in the UK.... at least not until Universal opens anyway. I don't think any park operator has to spend many hundreds of millions on a themed land, we've all seen pure excellence from parks like Europa Park who also don't spend as much as Disney on their themed areas. I'm cautiously optimistic, knowing that Merlin have made cutbacks on previous projects, but the size of this IP and the very fact that Mojang's own creatives have been so heavily involved does make me slightly more optimistic. Merlin cannot afford to screw this one up. It's the biggest gaming franchise.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Not really, after recent inflation it's equivalent to about £35M to £38M in 2018, when Wicker Man was built. And that's the entire budget. It's highly probable that a lot of the quoted 'budget' will already have been spent on the license.
Don't get your hopes up, this will be Angry Birds land again, but with a coaster too.
Maybe I'm just getting too cynical in my old age... Maybe the Merlin haters on here are finally rubbing off on me...
Edit: I do agree that this is by far the best IP they've ever purchased the rights for here in the UK, IF they get it right...
WarmishSign
Roller Poster
If they don't do it justice, people will get their pitchforks.Not really, after recent inflation it's equivalent to about £35M to £38M in 2018, when Wicker Man was built. And that's the entire budget. It's highly probable that a lot of the quoted 'budget' will already have been spent on the license.
Don't get your hopes up, this will be Angry Birds land again, but with a coaster too.
Maybe I'm just getting too cynical in my old age... Maybe the Merlin haters on here are finally rubbing off on me...
Edit: I do agree that this is by far the best IP they've ever purchased the rights for here in the UK, IF they get it right...
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Or their pickaxes...
Coastiesaurus
Roller Poster
Agree with all previous comments about the popularity of this IP, anyone who saw the Minecraft movie last year, or even just saw the amount of clips that went viral from the cinemas knows how incredibly popular this is. And there will be more movies to come as well.
Beyond the theming of the coaster and the land there are surely huge opportunities when it comes to themed food, merchandise…potentially hotel rooms etc etc. But then again it would be *so* Merlin to mess this up wouldn’t it
Beyond the theming of the coaster and the land there are surely huge opportunities when it comes to themed food, merchandise…potentially hotel rooms etc etc. But then again it would be *so* Merlin to mess this up wouldn’t it
WarmishSign
Roller Poster
Hopefully they don't pull a Hyperia, plant a few bushes, mulch, small rocks, and call it a day.Agree with all previous comments about the popularity of this IP, anyone who saw the Minecraft movie last year, or even just saw the amount of clips that went viral from the cinemas knows how incredibly popular this is. And there will be more movies to come as well.
Beyond the theming of the coaster and the land there are surely huge opportunities when it comes to themed food, merchandise…potentially hotel rooms etc etc. But then again it would be *so* Merlin to mess this up wouldn’t it
Peet
Giga Poster
Paw Patrol is an absolute killer IP as well, it's the one show that you can guarantee any 2-7 year old will be in to, probably the best possible IP for that age range. If they get it right it will be at least as popular as Peppa Pig World, so I think exciting times are ahead for Chessington.
CineramaMax
Mega Poster
Thing is, I don't remember the last time Merlin spent even that much money. I wouldn't say the Chessington land's budget is inclusive of the license either, since Merlin's deal with Mojang Studios covered their global attractions rather than just one. It certainly will include marketing costs however.
It's a pretty impressive budget for a UK park, even if we factor in inflation. And because it's Minecraft, a truly global IP, perhaps the biggest outside of Disney and Universal, Merlin have no option but to get this right. I don't think for one second that Mojang would do business with Merlin if they weren't providing both themselves and their audience with genuine value.
Even with inflation it's still the single biggest investment in UK theme park history.
My understanding is that figure does not include licensing, it's the budget for the construction of the project.
If we compare to Uncharted at PortAventura which is likely the prototype of this ride, that aspect alone will be well over £20m but there will still be a very healthy budget allocated for theming.
And that's not to mention the rumoured second expansion...
I understand your cynicism of anything Merlin related but i think the collaborative nature and comparatively gigantic budget means if there was ever a time to be optimistic this is it.
Equally worth remembering that this will very much be a family attraction in a family theme park.
MackMan
Mega Poster
I do think this comparison is hopefully wrong. I think Angry Birds cost barely a few million, with some new bumper cars and the cinema redone. The IP was on its way out in 2014 anyway, as the potential for merchandise was mediocre in my opinion. It was a fun little mobile game in 2010's, but by 2014 most had forgotten about it, or deleted it
Minecraft as you and everyone else has said, is a huge monster of a IP. Mojang will hopefully have some oversight in this project, and Merlin milk this land and IP for all it's worth. Unlike Angry Birds, we're also getting a new high tech family coaster. I think this indicates this is more than just a few cheap statues.
Look I'm a Merlin skeptic too. But I doubt they are going to build a pivotal IP backed land with Hyperia budget theming. The budget is much higher than Hyperia, and that is a huge Mack Hyper. Though Hyperia is poorly themed, I do think maybe as enthusiasts we are a bit over critical. End of the day we got a really fun Mack Hyper, my personal gripe with Hyperia is the "water feature". But I do feel like Icon, the ride is more stylized than themed, and Thorpe is a bit more loose with its theming in some places.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Yes, if it doesn't include the license fee then it isn't a bad budget in UK terms, but it's clearly NOT enough to do justice to an IP like that. There are currently no operators in the UK with the budget to do justice to an IP like that... Currently. These super themed lands in other countries, like Super nintendo World cost half a billion dollars, and that's in countries that can get things done. In this country, with how expensive building is, and the fact the budget most likely includes the license fee, it's not going to be anything too special.
My understanding is the opposite, in that the advertised budget includes EVERYTHING, license fees, ride hardware, construction of the new hardware, theming and even marketing. So with inflation factored in, we have a budget a little over DBGT for a new ride, a new area, licensing and all of the other associated costs.
I'm not normally cynical of anything Merlin, I'm normally the one calling Von Rolland out, but people are getting carried away here by the headline figure. Probably because we've not had many huge investments in the UK recently, and in that time, inflation has pushed these figures up to unrecognisable numbers.
One more point to note... Merlin claimed to have spent a budget of $90 USD (45 Each?) for the lego galaxy attractions... In a country where it's much cheaper and easier to build. Maybe they serve as a better example of what we can expect.
Dar
Hyper Poster
I know you mean million, but i can totally see the project manager giving them a crisp $100 note, a stiff pat on the back, and a farewell "I expect the change back"
CineramaMax
Mega Poster
I think we may also be forgetting the budget does also include costs of the new flat ride (looks like an enclosed tea cups) and the rethemed Kobra. I'm still very optimistic. The concept art is very impressive. If Valgard only cost £12 million and looks as good as it does, I'm sure Merlin will be going all out for Minecraft.
My understanding is the opposite, in that the advertised budget includes EVERYTHING, license fees, ride hardware, construction of the new hardware, theming and even marketing. So with inflation factored in, we have a budget a little over DBGT for a new ride, a new area, licensing and all of the other associated costs.
I'm not normally cynical of anything Merlin, I'm normally the one calling Von Rolland out, but people are getting carried away here by the headline figure. Probably because we've not had many huge investments in the UK recently, and in that time, inflation has pushed these figures up to unrecognisable numbers.
One more point to note... Merlin claimed to have spent a budget of $90 USD (45 Each?) for the lego galaxy attractions... In a country where it's much cheaper and easier to build. Maybe they serve as a better example of what we can expect.
I guess we will see in regards to how the budget is spent.
I'm very cynical of Merlin after the last few years but i think the figures quoted, the opportunity of this specific IP and the upcoming arrival of Universal suggest this will deliver. Yes it won't be Universal or Disney levels but as mentioned above, Paultons have shown you can still do a lot with theming on a lower budget.
It seems pretty clear Chessington is their priority park in the UK at the moment, what with this being the third major new themed land in 4 years, they'll have spent around £100m on those alone and there are already rumours of a rapid Minecraft expansion into Wild Asia, development of the Trails of the Kings area as the large animals are gradually relocated and the much delayed water park.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Yep, and Thorpe isn't being treated terribly either, it's being turned into the 'Thrill Capital of the UK.' I think this is all in preparation for Universal. All part of the plan.
Many of us agreed that they needed to focus on improving Chessington as the family park, and to push Thorpe more down the thrill route, if they were to not only survive Universal's coming, but maybe thrive on it, drawing international tourists to their parks whilst they're here (i.e Busch Gardens and Seaworld.) Seems like somebody at Merlin agreed. I think Thorpe will also get at least one more huge thrill machine before Universal opens
At least I hope it's this, and not one of the many other theories at the minute, such as them bleeding the other parks dry before they dispose of them. :/ Looking at the UK profits in isolation for Merlin, you'd hope not, but you never know.
Dar
Hyper Poster
Given how close Thorpe and Chessington are, I'm still surprised that Merlin haven't tried to combine them in some way.
Something like stay at one of the resort hotels and get a day at each park, with a shuttle bus between them. Or even just a normal (free) shuttle bus so the family can stay at Chessington and the thrill seekers can get to Thorpe and back without needing a car, while the parent(s) can stay with the younger ones.
Could even make them electric buses charged from solar panels covering the car parks, really bump their green marketing (and I'm sure there's government incentive they can bag on the way).
Maybe even a park hopper pass like Disney, spend the morning at Chessington and the afternoon at Thorpe. Or pop in to check on the thrill seekers before nipping back to Chessie on the next hourly shuttle.
They could offer the online advance discount ticket price on the day if you're staying at either resort and decide you want to give the other one a go after breakfast.
Or even just advertise the fact there's another Merlin park less than 20 miles away! I don't remember seeing any specific marketing for Chessington last time I was at Thorpe. I get they serve different markets, but I can almost guarantee there will be some parents taking their older kids there that don't know there's also a park for their younger ones close by.
Something like stay at one of the resort hotels and get a day at each park, with a shuttle bus between them. Or even just a normal (free) shuttle bus so the family can stay at Chessington and the thrill seekers can get to Thorpe and back without needing a car, while the parent(s) can stay with the younger ones.
Could even make them electric buses charged from solar panels covering the car parks, really bump their green marketing (and I'm sure there's government incentive they can bag on the way).
Maybe even a park hopper pass like Disney, spend the morning at Chessington and the afternoon at Thorpe. Or pop in to check on the thrill seekers before nipping back to Chessie on the next hourly shuttle.
They could offer the online advance discount ticket price on the day if you're staying at either resort and decide you want to give the other one a go after breakfast.
Or even just advertise the fact there's another Merlin park less than 20 miles away! I don't remember seeing any specific marketing for Chessington last time I was at Thorpe. I get they serve different markets, but I can almost guarantee there will be some parents taking their older kids there that don't know there's also a park for their younger ones close by.