Curse of DarKastle
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An IP based ride in a Busch park to me would be the beginning of the end. They have been built on keeping out corporate interests within the park (look at six flags, HP with chain restaurants and big ads everywhere) and have only recently succumbed to allowing Coca Cola to paint a huge bottle. Sesame Street was a necessary expansion, and they do a good job of keeping it isolated from the rest of the park to keep the "magic". Busch Gardens doesn't fit the IP setting. It is a sell out move and if it is made, will no doubt see a sharp business rise. But at what cost? First comes a game of thrones ride, and slowly we will see new rides as IPs and old rides being rebranded and shortly we have Six Flags Williamsburg. Busch Gardens needs to hold true to their core else they will turn into just another amusement park.
Hersheypark and Busch Gardens were built to be ads.
And Anheuser did a good job making sure the only ads in the park were in the beer and in the park name, now that the place has been established well past a beer advertisement and many parkgoers have no idea of its roots why would it be a good idea to turn it into a corporate shitfest? I mean I can't be the only one, it is nice having the occasional large scale theme park that isn't a corporate stomping ground. That is why I like Busch so much, it is different. It is unique, whereas going to any other park (seperate from Disney and Universal) just feels like a parking lot with some roller coasters.
The bigger issue with a Game of Thrones ride is that it's not family-friendly at all. The closest a park has gotten was Paramount branding the Invertigo they put at Kings Island to the R-rated Face/Off.
This is like if Disney put a Deadpool attraction in one of their parks.
This is like if Disney put a Deadpool attraction in one of their parks.
I don't know about anyone else, but I remember doing, "the Nestea Plung" on the flume.
I would be much more likely to visit Disney if they did this.
Seconded.
Epcot already has a reputation for being the Disney park kids like the least, they should have gone full-on adult. Too bad they had to rip out their Norway ride and make it Frozen and make it kid-friendly.
Just sayin' if they wanted to they could invest in creating and establishing their own custom IP by getting their already existing or new IP out into the world and make it popular. They already have tv shows so the company has some experience in that realm. They could do more tv shows centered on characters based on their current rides/attractions/offerings.
One example might be a show based on the Loch Ness Monster or whatever really.
Though buying already popular IP is likey cheaper and quicker and a short term option.
I like the park having very few externally ads, but i also like the rides staying open and the park being successful more. I think dark rides are uniquely suited to allow an external IP without it bleeding out in to the park at large. Also the parks have tried creating characters, anyone know how Puck the penguin is doing now? Creating new characters is hard and doesn't bring people in from far away to see them.
Establishing IPs are easier said than done, and on top of that can be very expensive.
What is easier is to pick up IP's that are popular, but not expensive, and not overwhelming. I'm thinking something like Paddington Bear. 2 great movies out on him, a good book series, but isn't huge. You can put a show in the theater "Paddington's London Adventure". And you got great use of an IP.
What is easier is to pick up IP's that are popular, but not expensive, and not overwhelming. I'm thinking something like Paddington Bear. 2 great movies out on him, a good book series, but isn't huge. You can put a show in the theater "Paddington's London Adventure". And you got great use of an IP.
I think children based IPs are fine since they are just a way to draw in families, as long as the main attractions of the park don't all switch to IP based. That way the park can focus its creativity on their e-ticket attractions and allow children to be entertained by Sesame Street. I just think a Game of Thrones ride doesn't fit how Busch Gardens operates, and will just lead to bad news bears.
DK was one of the few dark rides I have been on with a unique story line that actually roped me in. The story line they came up with for that ride was pretty impressive for a regional park, considering it was based on history and was very interesting and fitting. Rides like CH and BfH are cool and all but their story didn't exactly make you think "wow" like DK did. I guess the only reason I am opposed to the whole IP thing is because it would really hit me hard if they replaced how cool DK was with an IP. It deserves some sort of replacement that pays homage to it, whether that be another dark ride themed similarly or even adding a HoS house with a very similar story line to DK, "Mad Ludwig and his wolves attack his guests" or whatever.
I just there Game of Thrones out as something that's popular, very current and not used anywhere else. It could be Lord of the Rings or something even more family friendly, I just think it needs to be known and popular. Paddington is actually a very good idea. I even think historical or literary could work. Dracula or something like that is very well known.
There was a very popular IP planned for a DarKastle retheme but Project Madrid killed it.
Puck the Penguin could've done more if he were in a tv show or movie. When he is only in the ride and nowhere else, he is an ineffective IP.
Creating characters is relatively easy. It's all about how you use them. Look at Addie, Scarlett, Ludwig, Pierre Le Frites, etc. They can create characters, but they could make those characters more effective and powerful by using them in a movie or tv show. Can you imagine how more popular DarKastle could have been if there was a full length movie released world-wide. Basically a large advertisement.
It's just cheaper and easier to purchase existing IP that is already popular, than trying to make something popular
The thing I worry about is the possibility that the park killed off DK with a large attraction in mind (maybe Madrid), only to realize that they don't have enough money for that either. The park has applied for many permits lately, but each one seems to be for something cheaper than the last.
The canceled (? ) event building looks like it would have provided a permanent home for FrostBite and any other haunt that they wanted in that space. I'm sure the ride had good reasons for closure, but I think that either way, the park messed up.
-"No one knows what really happened."
Ludwig
The canceled (? ) event building looks like it would have provided a permanent home for FrostBite and any other haunt that they wanted in that space. I'm sure the ride had good reasons for closure, but I think that either way, the park messed up.
-"No one knows what really happened."
Ludwig
Honestly we should be glad it lasted as long as it did. It was such a big time attraction never meant for a regional park, and it just showed that a regional park could not provide the funds to keep such an attraction modernized and running smoothly. Busch hit their limit with this ride, and it's just impressive that they even tried in the first place. It was a hell of a ride, despite it's obvious lack in quality in it's later years, but in all aspects it was time for it to shut down. They didn't have the money to do what needed to be done to it, and it was only gonna deteriorate more until it became a ride that had very frequent down times or only ran on peak days to minimize cost. I still love the damn story so much I wish they have just thrown it into the BfE space to keep it alive and just came clean saying "we can't afford this attraction, but to preserve the place it holds in Al of our hearts we will turn it into a vr motion simulator in Ireland" even though the theme wouldn't fit but whatever
I don’t think there is enough data to say with certainty:
1. Why DarKastle closed; and
2. If SEAS financial woes or local fiscal concerns were the biggest problem for maintenance, etc.
A case could be made that BGW faces some financial constraints becaus of corporate-level problems, well beyond their control.
1. Why DarKastle closed; and
2. If SEAS financial woes or local fiscal concerns were the biggest problem for maintenance, etc.
A case could be made that BGW faces some financial constraints becaus of corporate-level problems, well beyond their control.
I'm gonna start off with I have 0 insider information.
But, to me it seams as though the slow death of DarKastle was the perfect storm of quite a few things. Things (IMO) that contributed:
~Low Ridership
~Expensive to maintain
~SEAS Financial Woes
~Prime Location
~Licensing running out (I think I've seen rumors of this out there)
So you got a confluence of things happening all at once. The first three alone would be enough to close an attraction. Now I'll say, 1/2/5 could have been a work around. You get the story a little reworked, update some ride mechanics, update sets, ridership would pick up. But you add in three and not having the money to re-up a licensing fee, and the ride being expensive, you don't have the reason to change the low ridership.
Now I haven't talked about point #4 yet, but DK's location is a good one. Going through Germany means you had to pass by it to get to one of the few indoor areas for bad weather or hot weather days. So that area theoretically should see high foot traffic, so DK is in a prime location. Having a ride with low ridership, and being expensive to keep up, in a location like that; the decision to close and possibly replace is made easier.
I know DK was loved, and I loved it too, but if Project Madrid and Ireland 2019 are other things that the park desperately needs (thrilling flat and a new high thrills coaster) that increases gate numbers, I count that 100% as a positive. They will be investing in things that will increase the gate numbers rather than keeping a fan favorite for a smaller number of people, because investing in attractions like that is whats going to help BGW be able to bring in even better and better attractions.
Especially if it means that DK's plot goes unused for 4 years (2018, 2019 Ireland, 2020 Madrid, 2021, open 2022) and comes back with something new at that point...I would be fine with it.
But, to me it seams as though the slow death of DarKastle was the perfect storm of quite a few things. Things (IMO) that contributed:
~Low Ridership
~Expensive to maintain
~SEAS Financial Woes
~Prime Location
~Licensing running out (I think I've seen rumors of this out there)
So you got a confluence of things happening all at once. The first three alone would be enough to close an attraction. Now I'll say, 1/2/5 could have been a work around. You get the story a little reworked, update some ride mechanics, update sets, ridership would pick up. But you add in three and not having the money to re-up a licensing fee, and the ride being expensive, you don't have the reason to change the low ridership.
Now I haven't talked about point #4 yet, but DK's location is a good one. Going through Germany means you had to pass by it to get to one of the few indoor areas for bad weather or hot weather days. So that area theoretically should see high foot traffic, so DK is in a prime location. Having a ride with low ridership, and being expensive to keep up, in a location like that; the decision to close and possibly replace is made easier.
I know DK was loved, and I loved it too, but if Project Madrid and Ireland 2019 are other things that the park desperately needs (thrilling flat and a new high thrills coaster) that increases gate numbers, I count that 100% as a positive. They will be investing in things that will increase the gate numbers rather than keeping a fan favorite for a smaller number of people, because investing in attractions like that is whats going to help BGW be able to bring in even better and better attractions.
Especially if it means that DK's plot goes unused for 4 years (2018, 2019 Ireland, 2020 Madrid, 2021, open 2022) and comes back with something new at that point...I would be fine with it.