Where's Our D&D Theme Park?

Hasbro recently announced a licensing agreement with Imagine Resorts and Hotels, LLC to develop the first-ever Hasbro themed indoor water park and family resort. This announcement followed a licensing agreement with Kilburn Live to create, build and operate Hasbro-themed family entertainment centers across the U.S. and Canada. Despite references to Hasbro's brands ranging from My Little Pony to Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons wasn't mentioned. Why not?

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.​

[h=3](Role-) Playing in the Park[/h]D&D lends itself to the immersive park experience that Disney is known for. I detailed just how much theme parks and role-playing games have in common in the "D&D As Amusement Park" series, but suffice it to say that although the two have a lot in common (including a beloved cartoon about characters entering a D&D theme park), there hasn't been an official park.

There have been unofficial attempts in the past to create precisely that. Dungeons & Dragons Park in Carbondale, Illinois is a playground built to honor a D&D fan who died in a car crash:

Jeremy's dad, Barrett Rochman, president of an investment firm, bought 3.5 acres across the street from the Rochman house. He wanted to build a memorial park, and decided to give it a Dungeons & Dragons theme because Jeremy loved D&D. He hired sculptors, carvers, and painters to create Tolkien-inspired art in wood, stone, tile, metal, cement. Some of it was modeled on Jeremy's hand-painted D&D miniatures, found among his effects after his death.
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There's Evermore Park in Utah, which targets D&D players on Facebook with ads proclaiming the similarities (enough so that the FAQ points out that Evermore is not, in fact, affiliated with Dungeons & Dragons):

Evermore Park is an experience park where guests of all ages can escape to a new realm – the fantasy village of Evermore. Themed like a European village with its own buildings, citizens, and epic story. Guests interact with characters, go on quests, and become a part of the world of Evermore. The village of Evermore is a growing entity with changing themes, buildings, citizens, and quests.
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And of course there's the Wizarding World of Harry Potter:

Enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™—two lands of groundbreaking thrills and magical fun in Universal's Islands of Adventure™ and Universal Studios Florida™. In one land, visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade™ and explore the wonders of Hogwarts™ castle and beyond. In the other, experience the mysteries, excitement and well-known establishments of Diagon Alley™. Travel between both lands with an amazing journey aboard the Hogwarts™ Express*.
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The Wizarding World is particularly interesting as a role-playing experience because the park is interactive; players can purchase wands and use them to cast spells throughout the park. The wand is motion sensitive and responds to the user in surprising ways:

Overall, the interactive wand experience is an incredible amount of fun for guests of any age. There is a great sense of satisfaction from making each effect work, and there is also the enticement of a learning curve; figuring out how the wands “work” and improving the number of times you “cast the spell” on the first try is actually rewarding...
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Disney took note, and they are applying even more of this interactivity to a blockbuster branded theme park of their own.
[h=3]Making the Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs[/h]Galaxy Edge is a Star Wars-themed land coming to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California this summer, and Disney World in Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida this winter. The star attraction is flying the Millennium Falcon, in which six visitors pilot the ship. If this sounds a bit like Star Tours, it differs in one significant way:

But most simulators, including Star Tours, run a ride film. The vehicle knows how to move because it knows what’s coming next in the movie. The Millennium Falcon ride, however, is rendering its action in real time, just like a video game. And you aren’t just watching the action. Six guests go through the ride at the same time, and they each takes a spot at one of the ship’s stations. Two people sitting at the front act as pilots, with two gunners and two engineers. You push buttons and use controls like it was a real ship, and your actions will impact what happens during the ride. Essentially, you’re playing a cooperative video game.
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While the wands in the Wizarding World are essentially triggers for static animations by an individual, this new ride's interactivity means that six players are playing to win -- and they can fail too. The ride has to be entertaining enough that even if the Millennium Falcon breaks down (as established in the movies), players still have a good time. What's more, the park will respond to the results of the ride:

Disney wants Galaxy’s Edge to be an interactive area where you are part of a story. It will be able to use its tracking and data-gathering technology to know how you did on the ride, and costumed characters in Galaxy’s Edge will react to you accordingly. If you complete your smuggling job, an alien may walk up to you and congratulate you on the successful mission.
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This technology trend of integrating gaming with a theme park experience seems like it would be perfect for a D&D-themed setting. And Hasbro has put all the licensing agreements into place. And yet...
[h=3]Building the Game Park[/h]The first press release in November 2018 was with Kilburn Live:

The indoor family entertainment facilities will take iconic Hasbro brands and create interactive, immersive and innovative entertainment experiences in a high-energy, gamified environment with multiple activity zones...Current licensed brands include well-known franchises including MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, MR. POTATO HEAD, GI JOE, CLUE, BATTLESHIP, HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, CHUTES AND LADDERS and others...“Hasbro is committed to ‘creating the world’s best play experiences.’ In our 95-year history, Hasbro has transcended the toy aisle to become a lifestyle brand that both kids and adults enjoy,” said Casey Collins, SVP & GM Hasbro Consumer Products. “Our partnership with Kilburn will allow us – for the first time ever – to offer a wholly immersive and true play experience that unlocks a totally new and exciting way for fans to experience the Hasbro family of brands.”
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And then in December 2018:

Imagine Resorts and Hotels, LLC (“Imagine”) and Hasbro, Inc., (NASDAQ: HAS) today announced that they have entered into a licensing agreement to develop the first-ever Hasbro themed indoor water park and family resort. The resort will include themed hotel rooms, an indoor water park, themed entertainment, and food and beverage offerings, all inspired by Hasbro’s beloved portfolio of brands. The resort is slated to open in a soon to be disclosed location by 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, Imagine will co-conceptualize, create, build and operate the resort which will feature themed installations and experiences based on a range of top Hasbro brands including, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, MONOPOLY, MR. POTATO HEAD, CANDY LAND, HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and more.
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Given that Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons are both brands under Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast's oversight, it's curious that one was mentioned and not the other. We know that D&D is big business, both because the brand is doing well overall and because Hasbro sees it as a valuable movie franchise.

Could a D&D theme park be in the works? It's likely dependent on the success of the upcoming D&D movie. But if it does well, Hasbro's recent licensing deals make the company well-positioned to launch a gamified park.

Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, communicator, and a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to http://amazon.com. You can follow him at Patreon.

 

[AriochQ]

Call me when they implement Larry Niven's Dream Park!

 

[Deset Gled]

Funny, I thought we already had D+D theme parks across the USA. Here's a list: http://www.renfaire.com/Sites/index.html

That being said, one real reason there isn't an actual D+D branded theme park, and why it doesn't come up on the Hasbro one, is lack of merchandise.

Beyond just the cost of the getting in the park, the food, and the "experience", theme parks sell a metric buttload of merch. No kid leaves Disney without a new Buzz Lightyear, a stuffed Olaf, a Mickey hat, and a suitcase of other souvenirs . Hasbo's theme park is there to sell toys. D+D simply doesn't have enough merch to rank with the other brands. It's got books and dice, and that's pretty much it. Sure, mini's exist, but they're simply not big compared to the other toys out there. And no one outside of major nerd-dom would recognize the iconics, much less buy action figures of them. You might sell a few beholder toys or stuffed flumphs, but nowhere near enough to justify an entire park.

 

[Umbran]

Be careful what you wish for...

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Park

 

[practicalm]

Be careful what you wish for...

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Park

This is exactly what I want. We are getting closer with escape rooms, VR experiences, and other interactive experiences. The time is almost nigh.

 

[MNblockhead]

D&D needs a successful movie first. If they can pull that off, then a theme-park may be a possibility.

 

[Imaculata]

This reminds me of the time one of my friends ran a session where our party explored a fantasy themepark centered around the heroic accomplishments of one of the most vane npc's ever to haunt our campaigns. It had a rollercoast made from minecarts and everything. Our DM warned us that although technically we could go on any of the rides, safety wasn't exactly a priority when building the park. In other words, prepare to make death saves on the rollercoaster... It was hilarious.