Many of us have memories of asking our parents for a Nintendo for Christmas or our birthdays, and then having to wait forever for the day to finally arrive. Nintendo fans of all ages have had a similar feeling on a much larger scale in the past couple of years.
In 2015, Nintendo signed a deal with Universal Studios, which is owned by Comcast (CMCSA), to create a series of Super Nintendo World theme park areas around the world, as well as a whole new theme park.
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In an effort to stay competitive with Disney theme parks, Universal has entered into licensing agreements to open up themed areas such The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, a limited time virtual reality experience dedicated to “How to Train Your Dragon',' and Super Nintendo World in Universal Hollywood.
Super Nintendo World Been a Long Time Coming
Obviously, covid delayed everything. But after years of development, Super Nintendo World opened as a themed area in Universal Studios Japan on March 18 2021, featuring such rides as “Mario Kart Koopa’s Challenge,” and “Yoshi’s Adventure,” which highlights Mario’s pet dinosaur.
Now Super Nintendo World has finally arrived in America, Universal Studios Hollywood to be precise, and after a grand opening celebration it's now officially open to the public.
Reviews have started to trickle in from Nintendo fans, who praise rides such as “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge,” though some found it annoying that park users have to download the Universal Studios App to reserve a time slot to be allowed into Super Nintendo World, and you can’t reserve a spot until you set foot inside the park.
At the opening ceremony, Universal Parks & Resorts chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury said it was “the worst kept secret in history" that another Nintendo park is on the way, and then as reported by The Points Guy, confirmed that another Super Nintendo World is set for Universal Orlando Resort in 2025, where it will be part of the resort's new gate Universal's Epic Universe.
The new park is being designed to be divided into separate lands that can be accessed individually instead of one huge park, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said at last year's UBS Investor Conference. In addition to Super Nintendo World, other lands expected at Epic Universe include Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, Universal Classic Monsters and How to Train Your Dragon, Theme Park Tourist reported.
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Epic Universe Under Construction
The new theme park is currently under construction on a 750-acre tract of land in Orlando. Further details have not been confirmed, through The Points Guy speculates that the Super Nintendo World land will open with three rides.
Like it or not, the world of big-budget entertainment is currently dominated by recognizable intellectual property, as it’s considered a safer-bet with built in-audience recognition.
Disney (DIS) has Star Wars and Marvel, Warner (WBD) has DC Comics and retains the rights to Harry Potter in conjunction with J.K. Rowling, but Comcast's NBCUniversal acquired the licensing rights for Wizarding World from Warner and Rowling.
