The hype for Universal’s upcoming Super Nintendo World is real, and honestly, it’s hard to blame anyone. With the official announcement of the theme park, people are racking their brains with ideas of what could be coming.
We do know that Super Nintendo World is aimed to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, giving the tourists that will undoubtedly be making their way to Japan plenty to do and see (and probably bringing plenty more than the Olympics would on their own). We also know that while the first Super Nintendo World will be opening in Japan, there are plans for the Universal Resorts in both Orlando and Hollywood to get iterations as well.
But on top of that, we now have more information regarding the upcoming park thanks to the official Universal Studios Japan website. The site claims that SNW will be comprised of expansive and multilevel environments filled with state-of-the-art rides. (Sounds promising!) In addition to the rides, there are going to be interactive areas, shops and restaurants, all of which feature Nintendo’s biggest franchises.
The site also states that development is expected to exceed 50 billion yen in Japan and use an existing parking area, as well as an area dedicated to future expansion. SNW is expected to bring in 6.2 trillion yen for the Kansai region, 11.7 trillion yen for Japan as a whole, and create approximately 1.1 million jobs in Japan within a decade of opening.
While Super Mario and co. have been confirmed to make appearances around SNW, we’ve yet to hear about other franchises or characters that will be featured throughout; however, we do know other franchises are coming. I think it’s safe to say The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong will be making appearances, and I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that “smaller” franchises like Kirby, Animal Crossing and Pikmin all see representation as well.
Overall, it sounds like Super Nintendo World has a hugely promising future, and Universal Studios Japan seems to be extremely confident about it. It seems best comparable to Universal’s the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in 2010 – at least in terms of how big of an endeavor it seems to be. But, judging from the success and accuracy of Wizarding World, I’m going to go ahead and guess that Super Nintendo World has an incredibly bright future in store.
There’s no word yet on development costs or exact plans for Orlando or Hollywood, but stay tuned as more information about the North American parks gets revealed.
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Written by George Comatas
As a wannabe social media personality and professional in the world of sarcasm, George does his best to always adapt to the changing world around him. He considers himself a maverick: a true-to-heart gamer with the mind of a pop star. Whether this makes him revolutionary or a setback, he's yet to find out. But one thing’s for sure; he's one-of-a-kind.
