Chessington launches Minecraft World in 2027
Merlin spends £50 million to turn game IP into a theme-park land, streaming fatigue pushes franchises toward queues and gift shops
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Gamers can expect immersive experiences, alongside themed shops and dining (Chessington World of Adventures)
Chessington World of Adventures
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The only confirmed ride so far is the Minecraft coaster, which is expected to be a high-energy ride (Chessington World of Adventures)
Chessington World of Adventures
Merlin Entertainments will build the world’s first Minecraft-themed land at Chessington World of Adventures, slated to open in 2027, as the UK theme-park operator looks for the next franchise that can reliably pull families through the gates. The Independent reports the project is a £50 million investment and will include a headline rollercoaster plus interactive experiences, themed retail and food.
The move is part of a broader shift in the attractions business: parks increasingly buy certainty by renting cultural IP rather than inventing it. A new rollercoaster is a capital project with unpredictable demand; a rollercoaster tied to one of the best-selling games in history arrives with a pre-built audience, a visual language, and a merchandising pipeline. Minecraft’s “Overworld” is also unusually adaptable to physical space—blocky architecture, distinct biomes, recognisable mobs—making it easier to turn into sets, queue theming and photo points that keep visitors circulating through shops.
For Merlin, which runs multiple UK attractions, the logic is less about pleasing dedicated gamers than about getting parents to pre-book. The Independent notes Chessington already prices aggressively online, with on-the-gate tickets costing nearly twice as much as advance purchases. That pricing structure depends on predictable footfall and careful capacity management: timed entry, queue design, and on-site spending. Franchise lands help because they make the decision to visit feel less like a gamble. Families know what they are buying, even if the actual ride details remain under wraps.
Minecraft also arrives at a moment when streaming franchises are saturated and attention is harder to monetise on screens alone. Theme parks sell the opposite product: controlled scarcity. There is one place to “be” inside the brand, and it has a ticket price, a queue, and a gift shop at the exit. If the land works, the next step is usually accommodation—character rooms, branded breakfasts, upsells that turn a day trip into a short stay. The Independent notes Chessington’s on-site Safari Hotel has been used for this kind of tie-in before, and a Minecraft-themed room concept is an obvious extension.
Chessington’s Minecraft World is due in 2027. The first confirmed feature is a Minecraft coaster; the rest of the revenue model will be built in the queue line and the shopfronts around it.