The company that once defined itself by the splash of killer whales has officially changed its name. United Parks & Resorts, Inc. (formerly SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.) now manages a sprawling portfolio of commercial theme parks. This isn’t just about marine life anymore. The portfolio includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove parks, Busch Gardens thrill parks, and Sesame Place locations. It also runs water parks across California, Florida, Texas, and Virginia.
This shift in branding reflects a company trying to escape its past. Or was it trying to hide it? The rebranding follows years of attendance drops, public outcry, and a fundamental change in how these parks operate. To understand where United Parks & Resorts is going, you have to look at where it started—and the controversies that nearly sank it.
From San Diego to a National Chain
The first SeaWorld opened in San Diego in 1964. It was a modest aquarium with hundreds of fish species and exotic birds. It worked. By 1970, the company expanded to Aurora, Ohio. Then, in 1973, it opened in Orlando. That Orlando park quickly became a powerhouse, featuring a massive coral reef aquarium.
In 1985, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. (HBJ) opened the SeaWorld in San Antonio. It covered 250 acres. At the time, it was the largest marine zoological park in the world. It operated year-round until 1989, when it switched to a seasonal schedule.
But the real transformation came when HBJ decided to sell its theme parks division in 1989. The buyer? Anheuser-Busch.
The Anheuser-Busch Era
Anheuser-Busch didn’t just buy SeaWorld. They bought a collection of assets that included Busch Gardens in Tampa and Williamsburg, SeaWorld parks in San Diego, Orlando, San Antonio, and Aurora, plus Sesame Place in Philadelphia. They also acquired Cypress Gardens and Boardwalk and Baseball in Florida. The latter two were short-lived. Boardwalk and Baseball closed quickly. Cypress Gardens was sold off.
By the 1990s, the core business was stable. Busch Gardens remained the thrill-ride anchor. SeaWorld remained the educational and marine focus. In 2000, Anheuser-Busch opened Discovery Cove next to SeaWorld Orlando. It was an interactive park offering swim-with-dolphins experiences and free-flight aviaries.
In 2001, Six Flags bought the Aurora, Ohio location. That was the end of SeaWorld in the Midwest.
Blackstone, IPO, and The Blackfish Effect
Anheuser-Busch sold itself to InBev in 2008. The theme park division, now called Busch Entertainment, was sold to private equity giant Blackstone for roughly $2.7 billion in 2009.
Blackstone had big plans. They wanted to expand into media like television and video games. They wanted to mimic the success of The Walt Disney Company and Comcast’s Universal Studios. In late 2012, Blackstone took the company public. SeaWorld Entertainment began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SEAS.
This is where things got ugly.
For decades, SeaWorld parks featured circus-like orca shows. These “Shamu” performances were a major draw. The trademarked name Shamu was iconic. But in 2013, the documentary Blackfish was released. It chronicled the mistreatment of an orca named Tilikum. The film alleged that Tilikum’s abusive captivity led to the deaths of three people, including trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
The public reaction was immediate and severe. Animal welfare organizations protested. Attendance plummeted. The company was forced to pivot.
SeaWorld announced it would stop breeding orcas in captivity. The shows were revamped to focus on natural behaviors rather than tricks. It was a survival tactic.
Growth, Global Expansion, and the New Name
Despite the controversy, the company survived. In the early 2020s, it resumed its growth strategy. It opened new water parks and a Sesame Place in San Diego. In 2023, it broke new ground by opening its first international location in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi park boasts the world’s largest aquarium. It holds 25 million liters of water and 68,000 marine animals. It’s a statement of scale.
In February 2024, United Parks & Resorts changed its name. The ticker symbol shifted from SEAS to PRKS. The SeaWorld name remains on the parks, but the corporate identity is broader.
The company now operates educational displays, aquariums, and rescue programs. The Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego conducts studies on bioacoustics and sea turtle migration. The Orlando park started its animal rescue program in 1976.
But the shadow of Blackfish lingers. Can a brand built on theatrical orca performances fully escape its history? The rebrand suggests an attempt to move on. The global expansion suggests confidence.
The trade-off is clear. The circus-style shows are gone. The orca breeding has stopped. In their place, there is more education, more naturalistic exhibits, and a lot of legal and reputational risk management.
For visitors, the experience is different. For investors, the volatility is real. The stock ticker is new. The business model is evolving.
It remains to be seen if the public will forgive the past or if the new name will simply be a label on the same old struggle. The aquariums are full. The parks are open. The money is moving. But the question of whether these parks deserve to exist in their current form is still out there, swimming in the water.
