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FORUMS - COASTERFORCE

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WTF Merlin?

Unfortunately we have to realise that there will be parks using AI for images now. Indeed, I'm sure some graphic designers will use it as a tool to aid their work.

That doesn't mean parks should outright use it with no tweaks or edits. As said above, it can be used to aid visuals (and if done properly, can have a positive impact on a final piece). But it should be subject to stringent checks, and ideally shouldn't be a final piece / parks shouldn't be churning out AI-only images.

I also think that AI shouldn't be used for larger pieces / should only be used in a brainstorming phase. Thorpe is guilty for that for their new entrance piece; it shows and I am not a fan of it.

With the ORP cases, I also have another question. Why did they change it at all? It was fine before. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 
I'm really curious as to what they're spending all the cash on because it's not like they've been investing that much in the parks? Yeah, they've been investing in their premier parks a little more in recent years compared to around pandemic times but still not to an exorbitant degree or anything, or at a level that an independent park couldn't do.
 
I think the troubles might be caused more by expansion than by investment in their main parks.

For years, Merlin had a quest for expansion, and to continually grow bigger and bigger. As a result, they made some bets that maybe weren’t the most successful; for instance, they’ve built some new Legolands that haven’t been especially successful in recent years, and they also made some questionable choices in the midways division that ended up backfiring.

I seem to remember seeing a graph (potentially even at the start of this topic?) that said that Merlin made the same amount of revenue across 99 attractions as SeaWorld (as they were then known) made across 11. Their aggressive expansion has spread them very, very thin and given them a lot of dead weight, and I’d imagine this has only grown worse as the company has grown.

They’ve also had some trouble at the UK parks with guest spend; visitor numbers are high, but people just aren’t spending money at the parks like they used to. The UK economy is currently very sluggish, and has been for a number of years post-COVID; middle earners are struggling. Even though park attendance overall has stayed relatively strong, guest spend seems to be a struggle; Merlin passes have driven spend per capita to be a bit too low, I feel, particularly with the advent of the £80 Discovery Pass following COVID.
 
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