Is anyone saying that is the reason?
Yes:
If closing MMM means that the park will work with outside companies that will bring fresh new ideas and not just fall back on the old relliance on shipping containers and/or quasi-millitaristic themes then that's not a bad thing at all.
Hopefully this is a sign that we'll get more theming like what was offered in 90s
[I'm not saying this is or isn't a valid arguement btw]
You mean like second hand military equipment they've been given us as we've seen for Nemesis Reborn, half finished Thirteen building, dogey theming on Smiler and Galactica's...uh, 'theming'. If that's what you mean for 'quality' theming? Honestly other than a few MMM haven't exactly set the world on fire for the most part you have to admit.
My comment wasn't intended to throw praise on the work of those affected, just to challenge the bizarre comparison to purchasing burger buns.
FWIW like any vendor they must work to the budget they're given. The only difference is outside vendors can potentially refuse a job if they believe it to be impossible or a risk of damaging their own rep, where an internal resource can't do that so easily.
Their work in the 90s proves the sort of quality they're capable of when funded adequately.
On the other hand, it's now a quarter of a century since Hex and the only thing I can think that they've been involved in during that time which has been any good theming wise is Wickerman, and before that Mutiny Bay - which, if we're honest, was a pretty light reskin of an existing area. If the combination of the budget and the internal resource can't muster a higher quality then from a business perspective it's entirely valid to question where the return-on-investment is supposed to be.
[BTW, I'm also not sure what their involvement has been on any of the attractions listed about - I know larger theming items have always been outsourced by my understanding has been that Studios North/MMM would have been the ones doing the outsourcing]
What is a little upsetting to reflect upon is what Pearson/Tussauds clearly intended by setting up an in-house theme park theming unit located on site at their flagship park - they truly were aspiring to Disney Imagineer levels of investment, OK they never got there or anything like it but it was a stake in the ground.
Accepting they're not getting value from that internal resource 30 years on is sad, and is yet another sign that Alton Towers (and to a lesser extent CWoA, who Studios North were setup to support albeit not with the same level of proximity) are not the flag bearing high quality products they once were.