Nintendo teams up with Six Flags

by Kyle Orland { Jan 23rd 2007 at 10:25AM }

Theme park chain Six Flags announced today that the Nintendo Wii is now the "Official Gaming Console of Six Flags," meaning that the Wii will be available for free play at "Wii Gaming Stations" at "select Six Flags-branded theme parks" (which of Six Flags' 26 parks will get the Wii is unclear). In exchange, Nintendo will promote Six Flags through an upcoming contest on nintendo.com.

The marketing deal seems to be, in part, an effort to lure in kids who would rather stay home and play video game than go to a theme park. "When this audience is not in our parks, more often than not they are at home playing video games -- and now they can do both in one place," Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro said in the release. With the announcement, Nintendo joins companies like Cold Stone Creamery, Kodak and Home Depot in throwing thinly-veiled marketing messages at customers that paid good money just to ride some freaking roller coasters without being bombarded with ads and will you look at these lines I mean where do all these people come from seven dollars for a hamburger what am I made of money next year let's go to the beach. Sheesh!

[Thanks awiifemale, Via Reuters]

Tags: alliance, marketing, roller coaster, RollerCoaster, six flags, SixFlags, theme park, ThemePark, wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

NATO_Duke @ Jan 23rd 2007 10:44AM

Isn't six flaggs trying to sell a bunch of their parks right now?

Franchise @ Jan 23rd 2007 10:45AM

Lets see I already have a wii..and THEY CLOSED SIX FLAGS ASTROWORLD DOWN IN HOUSTON about two years ago...So now its just a lot...o yea and they closed the water park with it....One of the largest cities with no theme park...thank goodness for video games lol

Brandon @ Jan 23rd 2007 10:57AM

Maybe this will lead to people in Mario and Yoshi costumes! Then they can fight the Warner Bros. characters! TAZ in SSB Brawl!!

Seriously though, could this lead to Nintendo themed rides? That would be awesome!

hoohoo @ Jan 23rd 2007 11:15AM

that must make bill gates 11% in six flags stock feel good.

zorikin @ Jan 23rd 2007 11:40AM

#3, Taz would be sweet, but how about Batman?

tra-la-la @ Jan 23rd 2007 12:13PM

Batman? WB? This means we're *that* much closer to a BANANA SPLITS game!!! I'm hoping for a Mario Kart-esq romp around the park in Banana Buggies.

Mike B @ Jan 23rd 2007 12:14PM

They've done this before. I believe one of the first time I ever played a Super NES was at Six Flags. I distinctly remember they had a couple of trailer-like deals set up with tons of those spanking-new 16 bit machines set up inside. I remember playing Act Raiser and SMW.

justin @ Jan 23rd 2007 12:23PM

They should make a Nintendo Section of the park.

Great Adventure already has like 3 kiddie areas.

J.Goodwin @ Jan 23rd 2007 12:49PM

SEGA did this too.

The parks they're closing/selling are predominantly the water parks, which haven't been doing well. They also are selling a few of the theme parks that were not so hot (although I'm not sure why they're selling Elitch Gardens...it had potential, I assume it's because there wasn't much space to expand the park).

PhilLaj @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:26PM

There's been a nintendo dome in montreal's park for the last 10-12 years...at least 60-70 televisions, a couple big screen and one giant screen. All nintendo consoles since snes made apperence there, plenty of games and video game contests where you can win games and consoles. It's awsome, but when you pay 40$ for a day, you don't spend your time with video games much...now if I did have a season pass, I would go there often! It's also a good place to talk to girls actually lol.

Todd @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:30PM

I think Disney is a much better match for Nintendo. This is a bit off topic but I for one would love to see a Nintendo themed park. like Disneyland you would have different areas of the park. Marioland, Hyrule (maybe even with Hyrule's castle in the middle?), Donkey Kong's jungle, Kirby land etc... Would be a lot better / more interesting than that craptastic California Adventure at least!

majortom @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:33PM

Dont compalin. Six Flags has to do this to fix the mess the last management left. This is a way to generate monye for that 2 billion in debt that they are in.

Also This is great because both companies are trying to market towards families so why not.

GoldenS1104 @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:38PM

I'm willing to bet Six Flags Great Adventure gets some Wii's. They're not only th biggest Six Flags, but one of the biggest amusement parks of all time (in terms of the number of rides). I think it has the record Guiness World Record for most rides in and amusement park or something like that. Plus, they also have the tallest/fastest roller coaster on earth. I'd be very surprised if Great Adventure wasn't on that list.

SaraAB87 @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:56PM

I was hoping some theme park chain would pick up video game licenses as marketing gimmicks but curse six flags for doing it! They just sold our local park (Formerly Six Flags Darien Lake) however with that sale went the 7$ slices of pizza and 6$ coke's, oh and 10$ parking fee on top of already outrageous admission prices! I could also say some very nasty things about how the park was run under six flags such as not keeping up the rides, the rides looked very unsafe and very dirty and unkept. Plus they closed half our rides mid-august (peak season for this area) for an unknown reason, they didnt even tell us why the rides closed, and yet they still charged the same outrageous admission, food and parking prices while we have several other parks in the area that offer free parking and allow you to bring food into the park. I would never go to a six flags park even if the wii was there and playable, it would be pointless and very expensive to go there just to play the wii. You could probably BUY yourself your own Wii console and a couple of games for the price it would cost to take your family to six flags for a day or 2... parents think about that before taking your kids to six flags this summer!

rocko213 @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:56PM

I bet it's going to be in Great Adventure, simply because it's the best Six Flags out of all of them.

Jersey REPRESENT!!!

crazyrabbits @ Jan 23rd 2007 3:14PM

The best thing about Canada's Wonderland is the number of half-naked university girls who walk around in the water park. Thank you, Jesus.

typo @ Jan 23rd 2007 3:42PM

I recall Sega having Saturn kiosks up at SF Great America back in the day. Only time I ever got hands-on with a Saturn, as far as I recall.

religiousjedi @ Jan 23rd 2007 8:44PM

Yay! Valencia isn't so far from here! About an hour and half drive! So Wii and coasters in the same place!

h2c @ Jan 23rd 2007 11:31PM

The end of your post made me lol :)

Ant @ Jan 26th 2007 9:25AM

I know Great Adventure had season passes that were close to the price of 2 day tickets. Plus they throw in some coupons for those $6 pizzas and a free friend admission before a certain date. I think the vouchers for the season passes are sold at pathmark supermarkets, as well as at the park itself. great Adventure also has a chester cheetos kid section, wasn't chester in his own sega game?