Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo have announced a new partnership in which the latter’s iconic properties will be brought to life in theme parks.
In a joint press release issued Thursday morning, Universal and Nintendo said they are teaming up to create “spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds.”
No particular rides or attractions were announced today, nor did they say when they’re aiming to launch their first attractions, but the press release promises Nintendo’s “most famous characters and games” will be involved. More details will arrive after their teams “work to create specific concepts.”
The first properties we want to see receive the theme park treatment are obviously Mario, Zelda, and Animal Crossing (pictured below). The three worlds have a wealth of material to work with to appeal to people of all ages. There are other great properties that we’d love to see included too: Pokémon, F-Zero, Donkey Kong, and Metroid, for example.
Presumably Universal Orlando will be one of the first of Universal’s parks to receive Nintendo attractions — Universal Orlando’s Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are the flagships of the company (having already received two Harry Potter lands) and have room to grow.
There are so many questions that linger: Will Universal build new theme parks to accommodate the wealth of Nintendo properties, or add to their existing parks? Is there any chance of land-locked Universal Hollywood receiving anything good? When will any of these open? Has someone suggested a F-Zero roller coaster? Is a meet and greet with Resetti in the cards? And just how great will the inevitable Mario Kart ride be?
In our opinion, the reason for Nintendo’s desire to bring their games to life is simple: Sales have been slacking over the past few years due to the mobile gaming industry and tough competition, so Nintendo needs to keep properties like Mario and Zelda fresh and in the eyes of the public in unique ways. It’s the same reason why Nintendo is speaking with Netflix about a live-action Legend of Zelda television show.
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