Progress Slowed on Six Flags' First License Branded Park as Investor Faces Financial Crisis

© Six Flags China

Six Flags first licensed park outside the U.S. is scheduled to open next year, but suddenly that seems in doubt.  Six Flags Haiyan (located in Zhejiang) will also feature a Hurricane Harbor water park, along with a planned Six Flags Kids World and Six Flags Adventure Park - yes four parks in all when completed.

The park had some major construction started, an in fact many of the water slides for the Hurricane Harbor water park are already standing (below photos direct from Six Flags China).  However, in recent months nothing has been happening at the site.

© Six Flags China

According to this post at the ThemeParx Construction Board, the park's developer Riverside Investment Group Co. Ltd. has gone through some major business woes, including laying the vast majority of its staff off and facing many lawsuits from vendors who have not been paid.  That's not a good sign for any company, especially one that's supposed to have plenty of money to build several theme parks.

© Six Flags China

That post also links to a Chinese news website that did a report on the project, and actually visited the site to see what was going on.  Which was nothing, it was largely deserted with no actual construction going on and weeds coming up around the standing water slides.  Whether the park is delayed, cancelled or more likely no one (including Riverside) knows for sure at this point in time, remains to be seen.

This is pretty bad news for Six Flags Entertainment, which has seen the investor community bank a lot of their future growth on these franchised parks overseas.  First Six Flags Dubai was cancelled, and now the China parks are in (seemingly) in jeopardy.  Perhaps at least in the case of the China parks another developer can swoop in and finish the parks if Riverside can't?