Groundbreaking for the theme park was held on 2 December 2009, hosted by site developer Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB). Site operator Merlin Entertainments had signed an agreement with IIB to build Legoland Malaysia in December 2008. Merlin signed another agreement with LL Themed Hotel SdnBhd to develop and build the Legoland Hotel in April 2012.

Besides the Legoland Malaysia theme park, other resort attractions include Legoland Water Park (opened in 2013), which is a Lego-themed water theme park, and The Legoland Hotel (first half of 2014), a Lego-themed hotel, which is also the first to open in Southeast Asia. The hotel was built under a management agreement between the Company and LL Themed Hotel Sdn. Bhd., a joint-venture company owned by Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd and Iskandar Harta Holdings Sdn Bhd.

The cost of Legoland Malaysia and the water theme park was RM720 million, while The Legoland Hotel cost RM190 million.

When Legoland Malaysia opened in 2012, it targeted 1.5 million visitors and expected to generate more than RM100 million in the first year of its operation. In September 2017, Legoland Malaysia Resort appointed global digital marketing agency VML to handle all aspects of digital marketing.

According to reports, In November 2017, Legoland Malaysia Resort launched the world's first Lego virtual reality roller coaster.