All the way back in February, we reported that Hong-Kong based, China Animations Character Co., was going to use Sonic and other Sega based characters to expand the growth of their popularity in the Chinese community. you can read that article here.
When China Animation obtained the ‘Joypolis’ rights from Sega, they were quick to build an amusement park named ‘Shanghai Joypolis’. With its growing success and with a reported revenue of HK$220 million (US$28m), the company have announced that they are planning to open at least 100 to 150 ‘SEGA Wonder Forests’ in the next three years in major cities in China. These chains will be targeted for children ages 3-12 and is said to be “intelligent and innovative parent-child amusement parks”.
Here is what China Animation CEO, Zhuang Xiangsong, had to say about the new additions to the company’s growing amusement parks:
There is a strong demand for the cultural and entertainment industry in China… We may develop theme parks in China’s major cities by way of licensing and cooperating with land developers. The introduction of SEGA’s Joypolis, Wonder Forest and VR theme parks in first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen can accelerate the expansion of our business.
History of Shanghai Joypolis
Opened in February 2016, this vast and high-tech amusement park sits in the heart of Shanghai, China. Covering almost 8,500 square meters and four floors of entertainment, this SEGA affiliated theme park has grown in attendance since it first opened. Operated by China Animations Characters Co., they have brought on board their own characters beside one of SEGA’s own famous IP, Sonic the Hedgehog. With new parks being added, the expansion of Virtual Reality added to the park has been a real game changer in how they are attracting more and more consumers. You can visit their official website here.
