Legoland parent company Merlin Entertainments has announced a series of real-life immersive Minecraft attractions, with the first set to debut in the UK and US sometime between 2026 and 2027.
Per an official announcement on the Merlin Entertainments website, the attractions will involve "Minecraft-themed guest accommodation, retail, and food & beverage", as well as "a Minecraft-themed ride" at existing Merlin locations in both countries.
In the long term, Merlin says it intends to extend these experiences to other countries as well, but they'll just be in Merlin locations in the US and UK to start with.
As well as the experiences themselves, Merlin says it'll be introducing "touchpoints" that you can use to augment your Minecraft experience and add "exclusive in-game content".
The rides and experiences will be costing Merlin somewhere in the region of $110 million to start with, and that number will obviously climb as more rides and Minecraft attractions are introduced around the world.
We're a long way away from the Minecraft theme park map that was created as part of the game's 10th anniversary celebrations back in 2019; these are proper, physical Minecraft experiences you'll be able to enjoy at actual brick-and-mortar Merlin locations.
Naturally, Merlin hasn't announced exactly what the attractions will be yet, nor when they'll actually be arriving. It's likely we'll be waiting a little while for that info, since the rollout is at least a year and a half or so away.
It's quite possible the Minecraft experiences will find their home in Merlin's Legoland; after all, you can't say that doesn't make a lot of sense.
However, Merlin also owns the likes of Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, and Chessington, all of which are very popular UK theme park destinations, so the rides could be appearing in those locations, too.
Given that Legoland has US locations in New York and California, though, my money's on there for the inaugural Minecraft attraction rollout. Stay tuned for more on this one.
