Universal Hollywood's Bringing A Super Nintendo World Theme Park To The US
The first Nintendo theme park in the US will open its doors next year, giving more fans the opportunity to experience their favorite characters and Mario environments in real life. Universal Studios announced its new plan on Thursday, stating the park will be built at its Hollywood destination in California. In a press release, the company said it has already started construction on the park, which will include new rides and activities, Nintendo-themed attractions, dining centers, shops, and more.
As with the first Super Nintendo World opened in Japan last year, the Hollywood variant will heavily feature Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, and Princess Peach, some of the video game company's most iconic characters. Universal is promising future guests "a visual spectacle of vibrant colors and architectural ingenuity," among other things, and it'll attempt to stoke excitement with an upcoming Feature Presentation store takeover scheduled to happen "soon."
If all this sounds familiar, that's probably because Hollywood wasn't originally planned as the first US-based Super Nintendo World destination.
Everything we know so far
According to Deadline, Universal is building the Super Nintendo World destination "in the lower section of the park," which should put it relatively close to the "Transformers" attraction. Universal explained in its own announcement that — as with the Japanese park — the US-based Super Nintendo World will primarily revolve around the Mario franchise, including everything from games based on hits like "Mario Kart" to themes centered around big mushrooms and deeply saturated green walkways. Visitors can expect spiky vines, floating bricks with prominent question marks, coins, and the chance to meet characters like Mario.
As mentioned, Universal is planning to roll out a "takeover" of its Feature Presentation shop, one that will be themed entirely around the upcoming Super Nintendo World destination. If you've ever been to Universal Studios Hollywood, you may remember the shop — it's the one directly inside the main entrance. During the takeover period, visitors will be able to buy gear based on the Mario universe.
With a 2023 opening date, the company's Hollywood park will officially open before the Orlando Super Nintendo World destination, which was hit with substantial delays due to the pandemic. Assuming nothing changes, the Orlando park may not open until the beginning of 2025. Nintendo and Universal are also planning to open a similar Nintendo-based theme park in Singapore.