u/sin_suh_nat_eee

Hear me out on this. Just to be totally clear, I have zero inside info and honestly haven’t even been to the park in years. I’m just a massive Kings Island fan with an opinion and a vision for that empty space.

My theory is that we'll see a major new launch coaster utilize the vacant Vortex plot, but it's also going to mean the complete removal of Backlot Stunt Coaster—including all of its remaining theming. Honestly, Backlot is a bit hacky with the theme anyway, and being so close to the Eiffel Tower is just aesthetically unpleasant.

Instead, I picture the new loading station sitting right where Backlot is now. From there, the train would hit an initial launch sequence that flies right over the pedestrian footpath just west of where the basketball hoops are/were. Once it crosses the path, it enters the massive Vortex footprint, which would host the main layout of the ride with potentially a few more launches mixed in. To wrap things up, the track would cross back over the midway with one last element before hitting the brakes at the station. Replacing Backlot and tying it into the Vortex plot would give them a massive footprint for a truly world-class, sprawling coaster.

Kings Island doesn't really design coasters to interact with the parks paths, save Diamondback and Banshee, for the most part.

Thanks for reading, now rip this apart!