By Tyler Rizzo, Storyland Studios
The global video game market is over three times larger than the global music and movie industry…combined. I have to double-check every time I read that fact. It never ceases to amaze me just how large the scale of the gaming industry is.
With a highly active and engaged fan base, it’s no wonder that every medium is looking to capitalize on this momentum. All signs point to a wave of gaming-based IP collaboration in the themed entertainment space sooner rather than later.
Earlier this year, The Walt Disney Company announced it was spending $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games, the video game publisher best known for its smash success Fortnite.
The reach of this title alone is shocking. Since its inception, it has topped over 500 million users. It has also remained popular, with an estimated 230 million active players in 2024. Disney has partnered with Epic in the past. However, this purchase solidifies a new outlet for Disney’s stable of brands, including Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and a host of others.
No one does synergy like The Walt Disney Company. With Epic Games in its arsenal, the opportunities to connect a highly engaged community with its brands are seemingly limitless. Both in virtual and real-life settings.
Considering the audience, let’s focus on the ways the theme park experience could evolve in the coming years with gamified attractions.
Gamification at Disney
Already, Disney has “gamified” some of its attractions. For example, it allows guests to purchase interactive add-ons to the Spider-Man WEB Adventure ride in California and Paris. This enhances the purchase experience and creates a re-rideable factor with multiple power-up types. Imagine a world where these accessories are not only an extension of an in-berm experience but connected to your Fortnite avatar from home.
AR/VR gamified attractions could enable guests to see their avatars brought to life. They could be digitally entered into character photo opportunities, on-ride interactions, and night-time fireworks shows. These interactive and immersive experiences would drive new engagement for guests, providing a unique way to customize their experience on every visit.
Imagine generating an avatar in a new Star Wars game and bringing that avatar to life on a visit to Galaxy’s Edge. Or design an avatar at a Fortnite-based experience at Disneyland and bring that avatar home with you for your next Battle Royale. The customization and cross-branding opportunities are nearly endless.
This deal offers enormous monetization potential in addition to customization. Exclusive loot crates purchased in-game could enhance your avatar, allowing you to showcase exclusive content or open Easter eggs in the parks customized to individual guests. Real-life challenges could also reward the in-game avatar.
Visiting a park or attraction could generate a higher status for the game. Real-world purchases could be credited to your Fortnite account just like credit card cash back. This would encourage incremental spending with the perceived rewards in the game. The more you play, the more you earn. This positive feedback loop drives constant engagement, rewarding the power users who participate the most.
New gamified attractions
With the Disney synergy machine, and a concentrated investment announced by the company into new experiences, I can’t wait to see how the Imagineers evolve the guest experience in an e-gaming world.
In the past year, we’ve seen in-park integration of video games show up in new ways at Universal Studios’ new Super Nintendo World. The new land gives guests the option to purchase a Power-Up Band. This means they can keep score throughout the land as they compete in challenges, collect digital coins and more. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is the world’s first ride to incorporate augmented reality (AR).
Another industry-shaking development, and perhaps the largest gaming/themed entertainment development in the world, is the unveiling of the world’s first gaming and esports district at Qiddiya City. While this project goes beyond the typical theme park space, it incorporates all of the elements seen in themed entertainment. It combined concepts like the immersive living found at Celebration, Florida, with next-generation lifestyles of living within the worlds that video games have built.
No details on official partnerships have been provided yet. However, the Gaming District represents an opportunity for consumers to live “within the berm.” They could potentially immerse themselves in cities designed to replicate their favorite games and evolve as the brands evolve.
Supported by headquarters from leading publishers, this district will literally be a world for gamers. It will allow them to connect with fellow gamers, living, working, and playing in themed apartments, offices, and entertainment centers. (Full disclosure: Storyland Studios is involved in this project.)
The wave of video game-based themed entertainment is just beginning to swell. As additional partnerships are formed, technology is developed, and consumer bases grow, IP within the sector will continue to find new ways to expand the engagement for its rabid fanbase.
