Nintendo has made it very clear over the last decade that they’ve wanted to do more with their brand besides making video games. That might be odd to state because they are one of the best, if not the best, video game companies in the world, but they’ve been backing it up in key ways. They’ve been making video games for mobile platforms to showcase their IPs to different games. They took Mario to the movies and made a billion-dollar grossing film with him, and then, there’s Super Nintendo World. This theme park has been such a huge success for them that they’ve already built two parks, and a third is coming next year.
In an official tweet on the Nintendo Twitter handle, special “artistic renderings” of Super Nintendo World in Orlando, Florida, were dropped. They focused on the Mario section of the park, but they also showed off how the park “connects” with what Universal Studios is about to call their “Epic Universe” park. Five unique parks will be connected so visitors can go from section to section to see completely unique things. You know, not unlike a certain competitor they have in Florida…?
Jokes aside, it’s cool to see how Nintendo’s park fits into the grand scheme of things, and it highlights how much Universal Studios values the park and its partnership with Nintendo. By all accounts, the parks in Japan and California have been doing well and have been getting positive feedback from visitors. So why wouldn’t you try to do more with something that works?
To that end, it’s already been noted that the Japan and California parks will soon be expanded upon by adding a Donkey Kong extension that’ll debut this year. Plus, a recent “video controversy” seems to point to another planned extension that’ll feature Hyrule’s arrival, though this has been unconfirmed. However, it is confirmed that a live-action movie is being planned for this universe, so you can bet that Nintendo will want a park extension ready for that to capitalize on the potential success of that film. Just saying.
No matter what, it’s clear that Nintendo has done well with this park and will continue to do its best to expand upon it and have fans loving every element of the park they add to it. While the Orlando park isn’t coming until 2025, there will likely be updates and visuals showcasing its construction and a big “launch event” for its arrival next year.