Fans of Nintendo's many flagship properties got the opportunity to see sneak peeks of a Super Mario 3D World-styled hillside being built for Super Nintendo Land at Universal Studios Japan in November 2019. That theme park is set to open sometime around the beginning of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, but today it was confirmed that a Super Nintendo World will also be opening its doors at Universal Orlando Resort's "Epic Universe" theme park in 2023.
The existence of a Super Nintendo World serving as Universal's fourth theme park "gate" in the Sunshine State (joining Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of Adventure, and Universal's Volcano Bay water park) was leaked last August. However, it was not officially announced by Comcast executives until a recent Q4 earnings call this afternoon.
The Epic Universe theme park will have three separate areas alongside Super Nintendo World, and will be built just north of the Orange County Convention Center (not to be confused with Orange County, California, as a Super Nintendo World is also being built in Universal Studios Hollywood).
Collaborations between the largely family-friendly video game company and the theme park division of NBCUniversal were first announced in 2015, but it was not until late 2016 that the world was introduced to Super Nintendo World, an attraction exclusively confirmed for Universal Studios Japan.
The Universal Orlando Super Nintendo World leak in August said attractions would include three based on Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country's mine carts, and the series of Yoshi games. A Mario Kart ride was announced at the groundbreaking in Japan back in 2017, so it would make sense for the two parks to at least share something simulating the ever-popular kart racing title.
Super Nintendo Worlds have been confirmed for Universal Studios theme parks in Japan, Florida, California, and Singapore, but the corporation also owns parks in China, Russia, and South Korea. Whether or not fans from those parts of the world can expect to receive their own Nintendo-themed park might well depend on how the openings go in Japan this summer and in Florida come 2023, if more discussions are not already on-going behind closed doors.
Source: WFLA