France and Saudi Arabia to build $7 billion Dragon Ball Z park near Paris

While a 70-meter-tall statue of the dragon Shenron is planned for a massive entertainment hub outside Riyadh, the blueprint for a similar spectacle has now reached the Élysée Palace. France and Saudi Arabia have agreed to develop a theme park complex near Paris with an investment of €6 billion ($7 billion), a project that IGN and Dexerto report will be inspired by the Dragon Ball Z anime franchise.

The development, planned for the Cergy-Pontoise region northwest of the capital, is expected to create approximately 22,000 jobs. According to Deadline, President Emmanuel Macron described the investment as an "extraordinary announcement," claiming the scale of the project is unprecedented since the creation of Disneyland Paris.

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The agreement was announced on Monday, August 23, during a visit to Paris by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The project is being financed by Qiddiya, the Saudi entertainment and investment group.

The catalyst for the multi-billion dollar venture was reportedly personal. Advisers to the French president told Dexerto that the idea emerged after Macron and the Crown Prince discovered a shared enthusiasm for Dragon Ball Z during a 2025 visit to Saudi Arabia. However, Deadline notes a distinction in the official rhetoric; while Macron mentioned his love for manga on social media, he did not explicitly name the franchise, instead stating, You know of my interest in manga. You also know of my determination to attract investments to France that create jobs and make the most ambitious projects possible.

The Paris project is not an isolated venture but a companion to an existing Saudi development. Qiddiya is already constructing the world's first dedicated Dragon Ball theme park in Qiddiya City, just outside Riyadh. That site is designed to span more than 500,000 square meters and will feature more than 30 attractions, including a 70-meter-tall Shenron roller coaster and recreations of series locales such as the Capsule Corporation, Beerus's Planet, and the Kame House.

This investment aligns with a broader pattern of Saudi Arabia acquiring pillars of the global gaming and anime industries through its Public Investment Fund and other entities:

• A $55 billion acquisition of EA, conducted alongside Affinity Partners and Silver Lake.
• The acquisition of a 10% total stake in the Japanese developer Capcom by the Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC).
• Full ownership of Evo, the largest fighting game tournament series, by the Saudi-owned RTS.

The timing of the announcement follows the recent relocation of the Esports World Cup to Paris, which IGN reports was due to security concerns near Riyadh. Both Macron and the Crown Prince attended the competition's closing ceremony just one day before the theme park agreement was made public.

While the financial commitment is vast, the transition from diplomatic bonding to physical construction remains in the early stages. The wider complex in France is expected to contain three separate theme parks, but specific designs and rides have not been revealed.

The project currently exists as a memorandum of understanding. French officials and Newswire indicate that several key details of the development still need to be finalized, and no public opening date has been set.

Comparing Global Dragon Ball Developments

The French venture exists as a companion to the first dedicated Dragon Ball park, which was officially revealed via the franchise's website in 2024. While the Paris site remains in the planning phase, the Saudi project in Qiddiya City is already under construction. That facility is designed to follow Goku’s journey from the original Dragon Ball series through Dragon Ball Super across seven themed zones.

This expansion comes during a period of high activity for the franchise. According to Dexerto, Burger King recently launched a collaboration featuring collectible Goku and Vegeta toys, and the Dragon Ball Super anime is scheduled to return with the Galactic Patrol arc, introducing the antagonist Moro.

The scale of the Cergy-Pontoise project suggests an ambition to rival established tourism giants. By comparing the investment to the creation of Disneyland Paris—which currently attracts some 16 million visitors annually—President Macron indicated the French project intends to operate on an unprecedented scale. However, IGN reports that construction is expected to take several years.

Because the agreement is currently limited to a memorandum of understanding, the next step involves finalizing the specific details of the sprawling development before a public opening date can be set.