A look at the gaming ventures at Six Flags Great Adventure

By Stephen Munn | August 10, 2008

I returned last night from New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure so exhausted I thought I would puke, but fortunately this is a gaming site, so I won’t go into any further depth on that particular aspect. What I will mention is some of the interesting gaming-related promotional items I noticed while walking around and waiting in line. Waiting in queues for rides appears to be the biggest activity at the park.

Mixed in among the ubiquitous Geico ads (that gecko was everywhere, even on little signs saying the wait is 60 minutes from this point) I noticed a poster outside Skull Mountain listing the games in Konami’s “Revolution” rhythm franchise that are up for release this fall, such as new episodes in the DDR line and Konami’s new Rock Band challenger, Rock Revolution. More surprising for me was something I spotted on the park’s map, as if it were a ride or something: Wii Experience. Wii Experience?

This was apparently announced back in April, but I missed it at the time. Nintendo and Six Flags have an ongoing partnership to promote Nintendo’s products at 10 Six Flags theme parks in the US. It turns out along with a Nintendo DS street team of four who will push Nintendo’s handheld on those already held prisoner in line, the displays have 10 Wii consoles for park visitors to try. The press release mentions that there is other park signage involved, but I didn’t see any. Despite spending the day in the park, the only sign of this Wii Experience thing I saw was the hastily pasted-on image on the map.

Check below for the press release from back April, featuring a quote from the now-infamous Cammie Dunaway. You can check out info from the original announcement back in January 2007 right here. Also below, find a YouTube video of the Wii Experience from Six Flags New England. I didn’t make the video, so don’t blame me for the typos and music.

April 1, 2008

Six Flags and Nintendo of America Inc. Announce the Renewal of the Wii Experience Attraction and New In-Park Nintendo DS Street Teams

Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) announced today plans to renew its partnership with Nintendo for the 2008 season. As part of the agreement, Six Flags will feature and operate the Wii Experience in 10 of its theme parks across the country. Each Wii Experience will house 10 consoles and be operational April 5 – November 2.

New for 2008 – Nintendo DS Street Teams. These 4-person teams will interact with guests, allowing them to sample the portable Nintendo DS video game system while in ride lines and high traffic areas of the parks. Additionally, guests will be exposed to the Wii Experience through advertising support on sixflags.com, park maps, pole banners and in-park signage.

“We’re excited about expanding our partnership with Nintendo,” said David McKillips, Vice President of Corporate Alliances & Sponsorship for Six Flags. “As the Official Video Game Partner of Six Flags, Nintendo is able to take full advantage of the powerful experiential marketing opportunities available in our parks.”

“We are very pleased with the Wii Experience results from last year’s program and Six Flags’ exceptional family demo, which is our core target audience,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The addition of the Nintendo DS Street Team provides another way for guests to come in contact with the Wii experience. The relationship has been a win-win all around.”

Six Flags and Nintendo plan to announce another exciting national program this summer.