Earlier this year, Disney announced that a new Disney park would open in Abu Dhabi in the coming years, and now it appears that another theme park giant may be eyeing the area.

Universal Orlando

News is emerging that Universal Studios may be developing a new theme park in Saudi Arabia, putting them in direct competition with Disney once again.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Universal Studios is in the early stages of planning an all-new theme park in Saudi Arabia. While the Comcast unit is doing the initial concept art for the new park, it’s possible that the park itself may be “financed by a Saudi government-backed entity as part of a licensing deal with Universal.”

Epic Universe

Universal has not yet completed the deal, but if it goes through, it would be a multibillion-dollar project that likely wouldn’t be finished until the 2030s. While Disney’s new theme park is planned for Yas Island, a destination known for tourism that also houses Formula One, Ferrari, Warner Bros., and SeaWorld, this new Universal park could be built within the entertainment and sports megaproject, Qiddiya. A Six Flags park is already in the works for Qiddiya, and a Dragon Ball Z park and a water park are under construction.

©Qiddiya

Universal currently has parks in Orlando, Los Angeles, Singapore, Beijing, and Osaka, Japan, with additional parks being built in Texas and the United Kingdom. Currently, it’s unclear whether Universal would take any of its marquee licenses to a Saudi Arabian park. However, this isn’t the first time Universal has tried to build a park in the Middle East — in 2008, Universal Studios Dubailand was planned, but only the grand entrance arch was built before the project was canceled due to the global financial crisis.

©Arabian Business

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this news as it develops, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB.

Disney Fans Raise Concerns Over Controversial Abu Dhabi Park Announcement

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