The game was released in North America as Sim Theme Park, part of Maxis' "Sim" brand of games, whilst in Europe and Asia it retained the "Theme" brand and was released as Theme Park World. The reason for the difference in title was because the "Sim" brand was more recognizable in the United States, as opposed to the "Theme" name which was more popular in the rest of the world.

According to Luc Barthelet, the General Manager of Maxis, he was jealous and wished Maxis had created the game but appreciated the opportunity to have it as part of the Sim franchise.