Developer iP2 Entertainment is planning to open an indoor Sony family entertainment centre (FEC) in Minnesota to complement an adjacent waterpark and hotel as part of a US$115m (€105m, £80.8m) mega leisure development.
iP2, a media company which specialises in immersive FECs, has also launched similar endeavours with an FEC in Jakarta and a
DreamWorks concept in Manila over the past two years.
Known as the Mall of Entertainment, the Albertville-based destination will cover 430,000sq ft (40,000sq m) and will include the Sony Entertainment Center as well as a 275-bedroom Marriott Hotel and a 50,000sq ft (4,645sq m) waterpark.
In addition to those developments, there could be an edutainment centre based on
National Geographic. Branded ‘Ultimate Explorer’, the attraction is described as a place for children to “play, jump, climb, explore and learn about our world through the incredible and often breathtaking experiences
National Geographic is known for”. The developers are yet to confirm that plan however, with details still being finalised.
Formed of iP2, real-estate manager Casey Darkenwald, Robert Kelly of the Roy Anderson Group and Kevin Hanson of International Creative Capital, the Black Forest LLC partnership says all financing has been secured on the development.
The plan has been under-wraps but in the works for several years so the developers already own the land, which has been successfully re-zoned. The project will create 2,000 jobs in the state.
The development is scheduled to break ground in Q3 2016, with an opening date near the end of 2017.
