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WTF Merlin?

Why cost cutting? They open 1 hour later and stay open until 8pm! So we loose 1 hour in the morning, but gain 4.5 hours from 3:30 til 8 pm which leaves us with a total of 3.5 hours more.
 
The artist John Burton has resigned/fired.

I wonder what has gone on there.

www.instagram.com

John Burton on Instagram: "After almost a decade at Merlin I’ve decided to hang up my wizards hat. I have so many memories to look back on, and I want to say a big thank you to all those who were there for me along the way! 💫 What a ride it’s been.

522 likes, 48 comments - creativejohnb on March 14, 2026: "After almost a decade at Merlin I’ve decided to hang up my wizards hat. I have so many memories to look back on, and I want to say a big thank you to all those who were there for me along the way! 💫 What a ride it’s been. 🎢...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
spicy said:
The artist John Burton has resigned/fired.

I wonder what has gone on there.

www.instagram.com

John Burton on Instagram: "After almost a decade at Merlin I’ve decided to hang up my wizards hat. I have so many memories to look back on, and I want to say a big thank you to all those who were there for me along the way! 💫 What a ride it’s been.

522 likes, 48 comments - creativejohnb on March 14, 2026: "After almost a decade at Merlin I’ve decided to hang up my wizards hat. I have so many memories to look back on, and I want to say a big thank you to all those who were there for me along the way! 💫 What a ride it’s been. 🎢...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
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My guess is that he is off somewhere that can actually afford to realise his visions... I reckon he's way more talented than he's been allowed to show us so far. (And to be fair, some of the stuff he has done at Merlin, on their limited budgets, has been pretty damn good!)


Wouldn't he be the kind of local head you'd be hunting if you were, say, opening a major theme park in the UK in the next 5 years?
 
spicy said:
The artist John Burton has resigned/fired.

I wonder what has gone on there.

www.instagram.com

John Burton on Instagram: "After almost a decade at Merlin I’ve decided to hang up my wizards hat. I have so many memories to look back on, and I want to say a big thank you to all those who were there for me along the way! 💫 What a ride it’s been.

522 likes, 48 comments - creativejohnb on March 14, 2026: "After almost a decade at Merlin I’ve decided to hang up my wizards hat. I have so many memories to look back on, and I want to say a big thank you to all those who were there for me along the way! 💫 What a ride it’s been. 🎢...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Click to expand...
Don't let the door hit him on the way out. Tosser
 
VonRolland said:
Worked with him during the run up to Manors opening, honestly such an idiot.
That ride barely scraped the opening. So many shortcuts and moronic decisions with an awful attitude. Arrogant
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That’s interesting he’s definitely a marmite character. I’d love to know more about your experience, I’m assuming he got way too big for his boots, in reality he was Temu John Wardley.

I definitely lost a bit of respect for him when he tweeted that he was an artist waiting to reveal his work regarding Nemesis reborn.

Then again I do think what he and his team did on Wickerman was fantastic.

Has he possibly been hired by Universal? I really don’t think so?
They already have a highly talented team at their disposal consisting of many ex imagineers, I doubt they would need him.
 
VonRolland said:
Worked with him during the run up to Manors opening, honestly such an idiot.
That ride barely scraped the opening. So many shortcuts and moronic decisions with an awful attitude. Arrogant
Click to expand...
Interesting, I do wonder how many of those moronic decisions and shortcuts came from constraints passed down to him, but I'm guessing you don't want to share much more detail?


spicy said:
That’s interesting he’s definitely a marmite character. I’d love to know more about your experience, I’m assuming he got way too big for his boots, in reality he was Temu John Wardley.

I definitely lost a bit of respect for him when he tweeted that he was an artist waiting to reveal his work regarding Nemesis reborn.

Then again I do think what he and his team did on Wickerman was fantastic.

Has he possibly been hired by Universal? I really don’t think so?
They already have a highly talented team at their disposal consisting of many ex imagineers, I doubt they would need him.
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I'd forgotten about the 'artist' comments, that was embarrassing... (Although I do kinda agree with drones spoiling the element of surprise a little. Hope Universal gets their airspace restrictions.)

I think Nemesis and Wickerman were both fantastic. The whole story, build up and final design of Forbidden Valley, including the Eye etc, it was great work on a Merlin budget.

I do think he's been offered a position elsewhere, due to the music choice on his video implying as much. So if not Universal, where? Puy Du Fou doesn't seem like it'd be his thing, does it?
 
Yeah I agree, not his biggest fan. He comes across as extremely arrogant and isn't the visionary he thinks he is, the tweets really cemented that for me.

I'd be very surprised it he did move to Universal. I actually think my excitement levels for that park would drop significantly if he was, which is sad to say.
 
There were whispers that he took a lot of credit for what was actually an entire teams work, sometimes almost entirely nothing to do with him. Sometimes difficult to work with but generally he was well respected for his ability to give nods to previous attractions and having strong big ideas.

Merlin’s marketing team performed a masterstroke by making him the poster boy for new projects - he was very actively involved in the coaster sim & towers communities so they could really leverage presenting ‘one of the communities own’ with his presence.

I’m pretty confident he wouldn’t have been fired unless he performed the mother of all cock-ups. He’s been too valuable to Merlin. I suspect he was looking for a promotion to director level and they just wouldn’t give it to him.

I’ve found him a bit cringeworthy the last few years. A general lack of self awareness online and some condescending comments towards his own community and peers.

There’s no denying he is talented. He’s definitely been a breath of fresh air compared to previous creative leads at MMM too. I hope he finds pastures new and is able to find a role in a design team where he can have his ideas materialised fully.
 
To be honest, JB was lovely whenever I encountered him during the commissioning of Rise Of The Demon. Very down to earth chap. Caught up with him on park a few times since. Very easy to get along with and chat to. I feel that if there was a poor attitude, it would have been a symptom of toxicity higher up as was a very common issue I remember as a former employee around that time.
 
VonRolland said:
The X41 from Stafford to Towers will not run in 2026, for people that don't drive this is a joke. Not only will this effect guests but also staff, absolutely ridiculous
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I honestly am lost for words how much of a scandal the Alton Towers public transport issue is.

The UK's most popular theme park is the most difficult to get to in Europe without a car.

I am surprised the press hasn't picked up on this yet to be honest... Alton Towers is the UK's least environmentally friendly theme park or something along those lines...

I get the idea it's a way of driving up hotel stays and parking charges although at the same time, D&G Buses are also contributing to the issue by not listening to the data and what the guests want.

For the amount of staff buses that run, that should be enough for a regular service to the resort for both public and staff.

What needs to be done is D&G buses to be stripped of their contract and give the contract to an operator willing to run a shuttle service to the park that meets the needs of guests. Enough on the public transport debate, I am fiercely passionate about making this better.

Trax said:
Why does Merlin hate Water rides so much?
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I honestly want to ask Merlin that, these rides are some of the highest capacity rides on their parks and also some of the more popular rides too.

I'm hoping one day, they will start building a water ride again at each park that can be popular and operated throughout the year.

We don't need soakers like Tidal Wave and Valhalla but we need more Log Flumes like Tiger Rock (or even Chiapas).

As it has been said, more modern water rides have restraints and settings that can adapt the wetness to the climate.

Loggers Leap's closure has been an absolute catastrophe and honestly wasting money on Rise of the Demon instead of a Loggers Leap refurbishment was absolutely terrible from the park at the time...
 
Nicky Borrill said:
Interesting, I do wonder how many of those moronic decisions and shortcuts came from constraints passed down to him, but I'm guessing you don't want to share much more detail?



I'd forgotten about the 'artist' comments, that was embarrassing... (Although I do kinda agree with drones spoiling the element of surprise a little. Hope Universal gets their airspace restrictions.)

I think Nemesis and Wickerman were both fantastic. The whole story, build up and final design of Forbidden Valley, including the Eye etc, it was great work on a Merlin budget.

I do think he's been offered a position elsewhere, due to the music choice on his video implying as much. So if not Universal, where? Puy Du Fou doesn't seem like it'd be his thing, does it?
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Wicker Man was done by Bradley Wynne I believe, who now works for Universal.

I think John Burton did.. Walking Dead, Hyperia, Ghost Train (Rise of the Demon reinvention), Black Mirror, World of Jumanji & Mandril Mayhem, Croc Drop & Wolf Legend, Colossos: Kampf der Giganten, Gangsta Granny, Curse at Alton Manor, Nemesis Reborn and Toxicator.
 
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Equally, in 2022, the creative for Wicker Man had left MMM and the only open coaster Burton had worked on was the rethemed-Colossos at Heide Park. For sake of that video (from a Chartered Architectural channel in the UK), much easier to go with a well-known, recent, UK-based coaster.

Merlin like having a marketing figurehead. John Wardley has filled that role in numerous circumstances. John Burton took that role. They put Candy Holland in that role, but I feel like I heard that she didn't like/want to be public-facing.
Heck, they even put Derren Brown and David Walliams in that role for their respective ride. It's the way Merlin work.
 
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