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Video game IP and the move from consoles to LBE experiences

Game developers such as Nintendo, Ubisoft and Square Enix have all launched location-based attractions

Until recently, video games were best enjoyed at home. In an experience economy, however, gaming intellectual property (IP) is being transformed into location-based entertainment (LBE).

Game developers such as Nintendo, Ubisoft, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have all launched physical attractions. Capcom and Thatgamecompany are opting for virtual museum and theme park-style experiences.

From Ubisoft escape rooms and a Resident Evil museum to Universal Studios’ Super Nintendo World, there is a lot on offer. Read on for the most exciting gaming LBE collaborations.

Super Nintendo World gaming LBE experience

Japanese game company Nintendo is leading the way for gaming LBE experiences. The first Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2021. Now, it’s already expanding to include the world’s first Donkey Kong-themed area. This will bring to life one of Nintendo‘s most popular video game series.

gaming lbe

“I am very happy to be able to make the world of Donkey Kong a reality, following the world of Mario,” said Nintendo game developer Shigeru Miyamoto. “I am looking forward to creating a thrilling Donkey Kong experience with the amazing team at Universal.”

“It will take some time until it is completed,” he added. “But it will be a unique area for not only people who are familiar with Donkey Kong games, but for all guests.”

The Donkey Kong zone will have a roller coaster, interactive experiences, themed retail and F&B. Visitors will feel like they are playing inside the arcade game, released by Nintendo in 1981.

Gaming-themed LBE attractions

Since then, the Donkey Kong franchise has sold more than 65 million units worldwide. It has been played on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii, and Nintendo Switch.

Super Nintendo World creates a whole new level of theme park entertainment. It has quickly become an exciting, must-do experience for our guests,” said J.L. Bonnier, president and CEO of Universal Studios Japan.

“We are thrilled to continue working with Nintendo as we fulfil our vision to bring their characters and stories to life. Our new Donkey Kong-themed area will bring even more excitement and fun to the Super Nintendo World experience.”

super nintendo world

Super Nintendo World is an immersive space offering innovative technology, themed rides, interactive entertainment and Nintendo characters. Universal is also developing new Super Nintendo World attractions in Singapore, Orlando and Hollywood. Epic Universe at Universal Orlando is also rumoured to feature an area based on Donkey Kong. 

Super Nintendo World comes to the US

Universal Studios Hollywood will boast the first Super Nintendo World in the US when the land opens in 2023. Its signature ride is called Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, based on Nintendo’s Mario Kart video game series.

super nintendo world mario kart

According to a media release, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is one of the most complex rides ever created. It will be similar to Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge at Universal Studios Japan.

At Super Nintendo World, visitors can physically hit the land’s Question Blocks to collect coins. So, they feel like they’re competing for a high score in a video game.

“Think of Super Nintendo World as a life-size, living video game where you become one of the characters,” said Thierry Coup, senior vice president and CCO at Universal Creative. “You’re not just playing the game; you’re living the game, you’re living the adventure.”

“We have developed some state-of-the-art technology to create the perfect fusion of the physical world with the world of video games.”

Nintendo IP “outside of games”

In November 2021, the company revealed plans to use its IP “in areas that are new to Nintendo“. For instance, LBE.

“We see the Nintendo character IP that has grown over the history of our video game business, nurtured by consumers, as an increasing strength for our company,” said Shuntaro Furukawa, president of Nintendo.

gaming lbe

“We are proceeding to utilize our IP in areas that are new to Nintendo,” he said. “By bringing Nintendo IP to new areas, we can continually generate touchpoints with consumers who have stopped playing Nintendo games as well as with those who first encounter Nintendo IP in a context outside of games.”

For example, the company is opening a new museum called Nintendo Gallery in Kyoto by spring 2024. Nintendo is repurposing an old factory building (Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant) and its surrounding land. This will be a home for exhibits of popular Nintendo gaming products.

Nintendo gaming transformed into LBE

Furukawa said the ultimate goal “is for contact with Nintendo IP to awaken new interest in the Nintendo game experience, or to inspire a return to that experience and our integrated hardware-software proposition”.

“By expanding Nintendo IP, we want to dramatically broaden our consumer base and maintain good long-term relationships with the consumers we attract.”

mario kart ride universal studios hollywood super nintendo world

Through both its integrated hardware and software products, Nintendo has created many popular franchises. This includes Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Pikmin and Splatoon. To date, Nintendo has sold more than 5.1 billion games and 800 million hardware units.

Eden Project partners with PlayStation

To celebrate Horizon Forbidden West, the Eden Project teamed up with PlayStation to create a 12-acre wildflower habitat. The project, in Morecambe, UK, is based on the natural world depicted in the video game, developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

gaming lbe eden playstation

Guerrilla Games is one of Europe’s leading game companies and also a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Created for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn. Players explore distant lands and fight machines in a far-future, post-apocalyptic world.

To launch the partnership, PlayStation and Eden lit up the iconic Eden Project biomes in Cornwall.

Tomb Raider: The Live Experience

Also in the UK, Little Lion Entertainment has joined forces with video game companies Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics. Together they have created an immersive Tomb Raider experience at Camden’s Stables Market.

The new gaming LBE experience is called Tomb Raider: The Live Experience. It is inspired by the video game series and also the film franchise and takes guests on an adventure with Lara Croft. Guests attempt to escape a sinking ship, explore the jungles of Costa Rica and discover an ancient tomb.

tomb raider live experience

“Lara is an icon who transcends generations. So we know that fans of all ages will run, jump, and swing at this chance to save the world alongside their hero, Lara Croft,” said Dallas Dickinson, Tomb Raider executive producer at Crystal Dynamics.

“Despite the promise of the metaverse, I hope, and am convinced that, the real world will always be the most interesting place that we operate,” Tom Lionetti-Maguire, Little Lion Entertainment’s founder and CEO, told blooloop.

Gaming-style LBE live experiences

“Taking the world of video games, taking the world of TV and films, then installing it into the world of theatre; you’re there doing it with your friends in real-time, right in front of you. That’s super interesting for me.”

gaming lbe tomb raider statue london live experience

Square Enix develops, publishes, distributes and licenses entertainment content. Its games include Final Fantasy, which has sold more than 164 million units worldwide. It is also the creator behind Dragon Quest, which has sold more than 83 million units globally. Tomb Raider has sold more than 85 million units across the globe.

Crystal Dynamics has developed and published more than 30 award-winning titles, such as Gex, Legacy of Kain and Tomb Raider.

Resident Evil virtual museum

In early 2022, Capcom launched a Resident Evil virtual museum on the franchise’s online portal. Here, fans can explore exhibits on the history of the Japanese horror video game series and check out never-before-seen artwork. It’s not location-based, but it’s not a video game either.

resident evil virtual museum

The museum opened with exhibits on Resident Evil (1996), Resident Evil 2 (1998), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999) and Resident Evil Zero (2002). It now has exhibits on Resident Evil Code: Veronica (2000), Resident Evil (2002) and Resident Evil Outbreak (2004), as well as Resident Evil 4 (2005).

Also on offer are exhibits for Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 (2005), Resident Evil 5 (2009), Resident Evil Revelations (2012), Resident Evil 6 (2012), Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2015), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (2017), Resident Evil 2 (2019), Resident Evil 3 (2020), and Resident Evil Village (2021).

Gaming LBE in an experience economy

New artwork includes character models and concept art, GameRant reported. Each exhibit focuses on a specific game, with information about its release date, story, characters and creatures (via IGN). The Twitter post that links to the virtual museum features a famous scene from the first Resident Evil game as a teaser. This is the image of the face of a zombie looking over its shoulder toward the player.

Capcom is an industry leader in the video game industry. Its historic franchises include Resident Evil, Street Fighter and Devil May Cry as well as Monster Hunter and Ace Attorney.

Ubisoft goes location-based

Ubisoft’s journey into location-based entertainment began with a Raving Rabbids-themed 4D dark ride at Futuroscope, which opened in 2013. Then, it opened the first Rabbids family entertainment centre FEC in Montreal.

gaming lbe

Ubisoft is the developer of brands including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance and Far Cry, as well as Prince of Persia and Rabbids. “Location-based entertainment is very much a part of Ubisoft’s expansion strategy,” Jean de Rivières, executive producer and development SVP at Ubisoft, told blooloop in 2017.

“We have strong brands and a core expertise in designing highly engaging experiences as well as a unique understanding of emerging technologies. So, we really believed we had something to bring to the table.”

“Our first Rabbids ride project with Futuroscope was probably the biggest learning experience,” Rivières said. “Coming from the video game industry, we knew the importance of storytelling. However, we had never translated a story into physical space before.”

Ubisoft Entertainment Center

Ubisoft and Storyland Studios, the three-dimensional storytelling firm, announced the development of the first-ever Ubisoft Entertainment Center in November 2021. It is opening at Studios Occitanie Méditerranée in 2025.

ubisoft entertainment centre

The gaming LBE experience will be the first in a series of venues where guests can immerse themselves in interactive worlds from Ubisoft’s game franchises. “Gaming has grown to become the biggest form of entertainment,” said Bruno Granja, founder of Studios Occitanie. 

“We couldn’t think of a better place to establish our first location than in the region of Montpellier, home of the Ubisoft studio that created our iconic characters Rayman and Rabbids,” said Mathilde Bresson, location-based entertainment manager at Ubisoft. 

gaming lbe ubisoft storyland

“The settings within Ubisoft’s game worlds are a perfect tapestry for physical world creation, whether historic, real-life, city-based, under the ocean, or on a different planet,” added Ben Thompson, chief strategy officer and head of global clients at Storyland.

“For an experienced designer like Storyland, it’s an incredibly exciting sandbox to play in. We’re thrilled to have been entrusted with this opportunity.”

Video games are huge in the entertainment sector. Gaming is expected to exceed $200 billion in annual revenue by 2023. “Video games and theme parks have a lot more in common than we think,” Bresson said.

Assassin’s Creed escape rooms

Ubisoft also resurrected its classic video game Prince of Persia as a VR escape room called ‘The Dagger of Time’. Ubisoft’s third VR escape room follows the Assasin’s Creed-themed Beyond Medusa’s Gate and Escape the Lost Pyramid.

ubisoft prince of persia escape room

This gaming LBE attraction is based on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It challenges players to work together to solve puzzles and escape from a reimagined Fortress of Time.

Ubisoft’s Escape Games are tapping into two popular and growing entertainment trends – combining escape rooms and location-based VR in highly immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences,” said Cyril Voiron, executive producer for Ubisoft’s Escape Games.

gaming lbe ubisoft medusas gate escape room

Benedikt Grindel is managing director at Ubisoft Blue Byte. He says: “The level of immersion in Beyond Medusa’s Gate is astonishing and will make players feel like they are truly in the game

Speaking to blooloop in 2020, Voiron said Ubisoft plans to expand its LBE business. “Our goal is to grow our current partners, as we have been doing. There are many places in the world where we want to expand to. We want to continue delivering a great experience to audiences across the globe.”

Assassin’s Creed indoor gaming LBE

In Saudi Arabia, WildBrain CPLG collaborated with Osool Entertainment to develop three attractions based on Assassin’s Creed. Found at Osool Entertainment’s indoor adventure parks, called Fizz, the attractions include an Assassin’s Creed-themed parkour course.

assassins creed valhalla

Here, visitors can relive the video game franchise’s first instalment. Neesha Law is the commercial director of WildBrain CPLG Middle East. She said the game’s “rich world” and “impressive international fan base” makes it “ideally positioned for location-based entertainment partnerships”.

Thatgamecompany’s virtual theme park

Thatgamecompany is an independent video game development company. It has raised $160 million to transform its games into virtual theme park-style experiences in a “connected metaverse”. Although the project isn’t a gaming LBE experience, it represents a change in direction for video game developers.

thatgamecompany sky

During an interview with VentureBeat, the gaming studio’s co-founder and CEO Jenova Chen said he wants to offer games such as Sky: Children of the Light as immersive and interactive theme park experiences.

“We are hoping to build a game like a Disney or Pixar movie, where husbands can play with wives and parents can play with children,” Chen said. “The PlayStation just doesn’t seem to have that reach where everybody will have a PlayStation to play together. So we picked mobile, which is quite a big risk.”

Updating the gaming experience

Thatgamecompany’s video games include Flow (2007), Flower (2009) and Journey (2012) for Sony’s PlayStation. It has also produced Sky (2019) for mobile devices and Nintendo Switch. There have been over 160 million downloads of Sky.

thatgamecompany journey

Disney World is a collective of theme parks that are next to each other, and with a lot of infrastructure. I really feel like there isn’t that equivalent of a kind of Disneyland experience or a Pixar movie experience in the game industry even today.

Chen added: “I haven’t really played a game with my wife from the beginning to finish. I haven’t really found a good game to do that. Not to mention I have kids now. How do we have that experience?”

“That’s kind of my aspiration. Sky is certainly an attempt but we want to do better to make these types of experiences,” he added. “Hopefully, Sky and our future games will all be you know, kind of part of the theme parks in the future, like in a connected metaverse.”

Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull has also joined Thatgamecompany as a principal adviser on creative culture and strategic growth.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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