Nintendo has been one of the leading video game companies for over three decades, having launched classic consoles like the Nintendo DS and the Wii, while its most recent console the Switch has been doing extremely well too, having sold millions of units to date.
Nintendo has ventured into the toy business with its Amiibo figurines too, and its games like Pokémon have been the subject of feature films and animated movies. Meanwhile, back in 2016 the Japanese company announced that it had struck a deal with Universal to bring its games and characters to Universal’s theme parks.
This meant that Universal Studios’ parks at various locations around the world (including Osaka, Orlando, Singapore and Hollywood) would feature new Nintendo-themed areas in the future, named Super Nintendo World and containing several rides and attractions based on Nintendo’s games.
The first Super Nintendo World is currently under construction at Osaka, and is shaping up rather nicely as new photos posted on a Universal Studios’ fan page on Twitter (via Eurogamer) show.
様々な角度から見る任天堂エリアのメインタワーは、ホグワーツ城に次ぐ、USJのランドマークになりそう…！
The scenery of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD ™ viewed from various places.
2019.11.02#USJ #マリオ pic.twitter.com/3KVcYmUAMx
— USJ情報局 L.C.A.STUDIOS (@LCASTUDIOS_USJ) November 5, 2019
And it makes sense that construction is proceeding at a speedy pace in Osaka taking into account that Super Nintendo World is scheduled to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which are less than a year away.
The tower seen in the image above does have that Super Mario 3D World look, and could be part of the Yoshi’s Adventures ride which will be available when the park opens next summer together with another ride based on Mario Kart, which might be set inside a building modelled after arch-villain Bowser’s castle as Eurogamer points out.
Also interesting is the fact that Super Nintendo World is not a simple licensing deal – Nintendo itself will be involved in the design of the rides, making sure they stay true to their games.
It remains to be seen, though, how popular Super Nintendo World will turn out to be at Universal Studios’ park. But taking into account how popular Nintendo’s games are in Japan and the fact the Summer Olympics will kick off close to the park’s inauguration next year, it’s likely this whole enterprise will be a success for Nintendo at least in 2020, which is no doubt a good thing for the iconic video game company.
Super Nintendo World (Universal Studios Japan / Nintendo)