Mass Effect Theme Park Attraction Coming In 2016

Mass Effect is one of the most beloved video game series of all time (despite its controversial trilogy ending), with legions of fans around the world. While a movie adaptation may not come as a surprise, it may be hard to believe that Mass Effect is popular enough among the masses to be made into a theme park attraction. Well, Mass Effect publisher Electronic Arts is working with the theme park California’s Great America on a “4D holographic attraction,” featuring characters and settings from the long-running sci-fi series, that is scheduled to arrive next year.

An example of an Action Theater

According to the San Jose Mercury news, the Santa Clara park is renovating an Action Theater for the immersive attraction (meaning it will be a motion simulator experience), which will be unveiled early in the 2016 season. Here’s a description from California’s Great America of the upcoming Mass Effect attraction:

Riders will climb aboard motion-based seating and wear 3D glasses as they are taken on a thrilling adventure. A live performer will curate the journey and appear to interact seamlessly with the next generation 3D visuals. These elements will be integrated with motion seating, high tech [sic] sound and other 4D effects to create a truly compelling and immersive attraction. Guests will travel through space to a distant planet, face off against bigger than life adversaries and ultimately help save the day.

“EA and BioWare are thrilled to partner with Great America and see one of our most iconic games turned into an exciting high-tech attraction,” said Patrick O’Brien, EA’s vice president of entertainment and licensing, in a press release today.

This is probably a strategic move by EA, in efforts to build up anticipation for the new Mass Effect: Andromeda. Regardless, it will be exciting to see if more theme parks decide to create video game theme rides/attractions in response to this move.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is scheduled to be released next holiday season. Stay tuned for details!