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Legoland owner Merlin Entertainments is introducing immersive augmented reality games inspired by popular TV shows Paw Patrol and Squid Game at select venues. The games, developed by AR company Immersive Gamebox, will initially be available at two Merlin sites in Germany and Australia. If successful, they could be expanded to more of the company’s 140 sites worldwide. Participants wear motion-tracking sensors and use projection mapping, touch screens, and surround sound to engage with the games. These themed experiences aim to encourage social connectivity and active play among visitors.
Merlin’s chief executive, Scott O’Neil, was inspired to pursue this partnership after visiting an Immersive site in New York. The licensing deal is part of Merlin’s strategy to enhance its range of attractions and theme park rides. In recent years, the company has forged intellectual property agreements with toymakers and movie studios, resulting in the creation of successful ventures like the standalone Peppa Pig theme park and the World of Jumanji rollercoaster at Chessington theme park in the UK.
The founder of Immersive, Will Dean, emphasized the complementary nature of his company’s IP partnerships with Netflix, Sony, and Paramount. Dean sees great potential for growth, envisioning a couple hundred sites worldwide within the next few years. However, some experts, like technology consultant George Jijiashvili from Omdia, express skepticism about the untapped market potential for augmented reality gaming. They believe Immersive’s games are more of an evolution of existing arcade games rather than truly groundbreaking experiences.
Despite the differing opinions on the market, Immersive plans to turn a profit this year with projected revenues of £25mn. The company aims to expand to approximately 200 venues globally by the end of next year. Most of Immersive’s customers are families and corporate groups, and they expect to serve around 1mn customers by the year’s end. Dean even speculates that Merlin might acquire Immersive in the future, as the entertainment company seeks to consolidate various businesses under its umbrella.
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