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Assassin's Creed and other Ubisoft franchises will join IMG Worlds of Legends indoor theme park

Ubisoft wants to expand its franchises beyond gaming.

David Craddock

December 7, 2016 1:36 PM

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Ubisoft announced a partnership to populate Dubai's IMG World indoor theme park with characters from its most popular franchises.

"As part of our strategy to expand our video game brands into other forms of entertainment, Ubisoft is thrilled to partner with IMG Worlds, owner of the world's largest indoor theme park, to bring our game franchises to life in the fast-growing tourist destination of Dubai," said Jean de-Rivières, vice president of location-based entertainment at Ubisoft Motion Pictures via a press release.

"By joining IMG Worlds of Legends, Ubisoft will introduce its world-renowned brands Assassin's Creed, Just Dance, and Rabbids to new audiences while creating new ways for fans to interact with their favorite game franchises."

Ubisoft's characters will run amok in IMG Worlds of Legends, IMG World's newest theme park projected to open in 2020. The park will span two million square feet demarcated into zones, each themed after a different property.

A mockup of IMG's Worlds of Legends. Image courtesy of The National.

In addition to Ubisoft properties, other zones will feature Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Power Rangers, Pokemon, and Barbie, among others.

"This is the largest IP-branded announcement of its kind. We have more brands under one roof than any other park has," IMG chief executive Leonard Otto told The National.

Worlds of Legends will connect to IMG's Worlds of Adventures park by way of a skybridge. Guests will be able to buy a pass that will allow them to visit both.

Ubisoft's partnership with IMG Worlds could be considered a dry run for its larger undertaking. In September 2015, the publisher/developer announced development of a "next-generation" theme park to be based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—another move by the studio to broaden the appeal of their franchises outside of the videogame industry.

Just recently, Nintendo discussed its partnership with Universal Studios to open theme parks at Universal Studios locations in Hollywood, Orlando, FL, and Japan.

[Source: The National]

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.