In 2024, the domestic game Black Myth: Wukong gained widespread attention globally due to its outstanding visual effects, innovative gameplay mechanics, and deep exploration of Chinese traditional culture. Through modern narrative techniques, the game offers a fresh interpretation of the classic story of Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, successfully attracting players from various cultural backgrounds. Famous tourist sites in Shanxi, such as Mount Wutai, were featured in the game, leading to a significant increase in visitor numbers. This phenomenon has sparked growing interest both within and outside the industry about the potential of Black Myth: Wukong becoming a theme park IP.

A successful theme park IP typically needs to have widespread cultural recognition, lasting market appeal, and the ability to expand across multiple platforms. A strong IP is not only dependent on its original storyline and character development but also requires diverse media communication and cross-platform integration to solidify its influence. However, despite Black Myth: Wukong achieving significant success in the short term, turning it into a theme park IP with lasting appeal still faces numerous challenges. From the generational differences in cultural recognition, the sustainability of its market appeal, to the lack of expansion across multiple platforms, these factors all present serious challenges to the long-term development of the IP.

1 Widespread Cultural Recognition
Cultural recognition is the cornerstone of a successful theme park IP. A successful theme park IP not only needs to be widely known but also requires its cultural symbols to resonate deeply with people. This means that the IP's story, characters, and worldview should become a part of popular culture, creating a strong cultural identity. For example, the Harry Potter series successfully built widespread global recognition through books, movies, and derivative products, establishing itself as a significant part of modern popular culture.

The formation of widespread cultural recognition needs to be achieved through long-term, diversified communication and marketing efforts, and must resonate with audiences across different cultural backgrounds and age groups. Widespread cultural recognition not only helps attract a large number of visitors but also ensures the long-term market appeal and competitiveness of the theme park. Especially in the context of globalization, a successful theme park IP must be able to bridge cultural differences and integrate into the cultural contexts of different countries and regions, thereby maximizing its global influence.

2 Sustained Market Appeal
A successful theme park IP must have sustained market appeal. This not only requires the IP to attract significant attention in the early years, but also to maintain its market influence throughout its lifecycle. 

Sustained market appeal also requires the IP to adapt to changes over time. The rapid development of the modern entertainment market demands that the IP not only meets current market needs but also anticipates future trends, thereby maintaining a competitive edge in the market. This means that the IP must continually innovate and reinvent itself to cater to the needs of different generations of audiences. 

Additionally, the market appeal of an IP is closely related to the depth and complexity of its content. An IP with a rich backstory and complex character system is more likely to create lasting impact in the market. This is because depth and complexity provide abundant material for expansion and reinvention, allowing the IP to continually update and enrich its content through various forms (such as films, TV shows, novels, etc.), thereby maintaining long-term audience interest.

3 Successful Expansion Across Multiple Platforms
A successful theme park IP must not only achieve success in one area but should excel across multiple platforms. This includes fields such as movies, TV shows, animation, games, toys, and more. Through expansion across multiple platforms, the IP can reach diverse audience groups, maximizing its influence and commercial value. With the advancement of media and technology, cross-platform integration has become one of the key strategies for the success of an IP.

Success in multi-platform expansion also means that the IP can localize and adapt to different cultural contexts, meeting the market needs of various regions. This strategy significantly enhances the global appeal and market value of the IP, providing a solid foundation for its conversion into a theme park IP. 

Successful Case Analysis in Practice
1.    The Star Wars Franchise
Star Wars is one of the most successful film franchises in history, and its success is not limited to the films themselves but also stems from its expansive cross-media efforts, gradually building a vast cultural ecosystem. Since the release of the first film in 1977, Star Wars has continually expanded its influence through various media, including movies, animation, novels, comics, toys, and more, amassing a large and loyal fanbase. These fans span different age groups and have formed a cross-generational cultural community, laying a solid foundation for the IP's lasting impact.

The success of Star Wars is largely attributed to its deep storytelling and complex character systems. These elements provide rich material for cross-media expansion, allowing Star Wars to continuously update and enrich its storyline through various forms of content. Particularly beyond the films, animation, novels, and comics have provided fans with deeper insights into the characters and the universe, which not only enhanced the IP's appeal but also bolstered its market longevity.
Moreover, Star Wars' cross-media success also lies in its adaptability to different cultural markets. Through a localization strategy, Star Wars has successfully formed broad cultural recognition worldwide. Whether in the U.S., Europe, or Asia, Star Wars has become a cultural symbol. This global cultural recognition has laid a strong foundation for the success of Star Wars as a theme park IP.

2.    The Super Mario Franchise
Super Mario, as a classic IP from Nintendo, made its debut in 1985. Over the past few decades, this IP has continuously updated and expanded, gradually building cross-platform influence and eventually transforming into a successful theme park IP. In 2021, Nintendo partnered with Universal Studios to open the "Super Nintendo World" theme park area at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, offering visitors an immersive experience of the game’s world.

The success of Super Mario is largely due to its simple yet creative game design, which appeals to players of all ages. Additionally, Nintendo has successfully maintained the IP's market popularity by regularly releasing new game versions, expanding the character roster, and developing cross-platform partnerships (such as with Disney and LEGO). Through these strategies, Nintendo has not only solidified Super Mario's position in the gaming market but has also successfully extended its influence into other areas, such as theme parks and toys.

Furthermore, the cultural adaptability of Super Mario has been a key factor in its global success. Nintendo has released localized versions of the games in various countries and regions, tailoring its marketing strategies to fit local cultural habits, which has allowed Super Mario to establish broad cultural recognition worldwide. Especially through theme park experiences, Nintendo has further enhanced Super Mario's cultural impact and market longevity.

In conclusion, to become a successful theme park IP, a brand needs a solid cultural foundation, long-lasting market appeal, and the ability to expand across multiple platforms. Success comes not only from initial attention but also from maintaining audience interest and engagement over time. With the right development strategy and continuous innovation, an IP has the potential to become a global phenomenon, generating long-term and sustainable value.

The success of a themed amusement park depends not only on short-term popularity but also requires a long-term strategy based on three key factors: broad cultural recognition, lasting market appeal, and the ability to expand across multiple platforms.

Lessons from successful intellectual properties (IPs) like Star Wars and Super Mario show that combining rich storytelling, compelling character systems, and multi-platform expansion can help an IP maintain its appeal over time. Additionally, adapting to cultural contexts and global technological trends plays a critical role in ensuring long-term competitiveness.

For Black Myth: Wukong, the harmonious blend of traditional Chinese culture and modern technology has opened up significant potential for this IP. However, to achieve international stature akin to other major IPs, a more comprehensive strategy is required to strengthen global recognition, diversify products, and expand influence across various fields. This success not only brings commercial value but also helps promote cultural exchange and the growth of the global entertainment industry.