Design firm hints at a new indoor theme park in Macau

Rendering of a section of the theme park

Design firm Legacy Entertainment (Legacy) is said to have completed the design for a new large-scale indoor theme park, to be located at one of the gaming concessionaires in Macau.

The company, which has vast experience in the field and a significant and long-standing presence in the Pearl River Delta region of almost 15 years, has said in a release that the new development will be a 30,000 square-meter indoor park. It comes as part of the gaming concessionaires’ commitment to develop non-gaming attractions under the new 10-year concessions that started in January.

The Legacy team has previously served as lead design consultants for two other projects in Macau, including Galaxy Macau’s Grand Resort Deck (2011) and Studio City Macau, which debuted in 2015.

The company was also more recently responsible for the design of the Chimelong Marine Science Park, in Hengqin, which comprises a 370,000 square meter complex that, according to the company, will claim the title of “World’s Largest Indoor Theme Park” upon its debut later this year.

“Working shoulder-to-shoulder with icons like Galaxy’s Francis Lui and Melco’s Lawrence Ho has been among the highlights of my career. Together, we’ve helped shape the landscape of modern-day Macau. My entire team and I are thrilled to continue working in one of our favorite markets as Macau enters this new era,” Taylor Jeffs, president and chief creative officer of Legacy Entertainment, said in the company release.

Legacy also noted the “historic move,” of the granting of the new 10-year concessions in exchange for a commitment to a large-scale investment over the next decade, in which 90% will be directed towards non-gaming attractions and experiences.

The company said that given the current situation and the reopening of the borders, “the outlook is optimistic for Asia’s gaming capital of Macau,” observing that in January the casino operators saw revenue increases up to 36%, with a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels anticipated to take two years.

Legacy noted that while “historically, non-gaming revenue has only accounted for less than 15% of the local government’s revenue,” the current shift, enforced in the new concessions “will fundamentally change the way Macau exists.”

“The goal now is different than it was when we started designing Galaxy Macau in 2006, and Studio City Macau in 2011,” Jeffs added. “Back then, the mandate was to create the world’s most compelling gaming destination. Now we’re out to simply create one of the world’s top entertainment destinations for all ages. It’s a tall order, but I am confident my brilliant team of collaborators is up to the challenge.”

Besides the projects in Macau and recently in Hengqin, Legacy has developed, designed, and produced over 40 projects worldwide, spanning mediums that include theme parks, hotels/resorts, casinos and aquariums.

Their project portfolio includes the Galaxy Macau Resort, Studio City Macau Resort, Vietnam’s Sea Shell Aquarium, Lotte World Adventure Busan Theme Park (South Korea), Kingdom of Poseidon Resort (Harbin, China), and Haichang Ocean Park (Shanghai, China). Upcoming openings include Chimelong Marine Science Park in Zhuhai, China, and Batavia: The Floating City at PIK 2 in Indonesia.