Bust out the warp whistles, Nintendo is aiming to make a big splash at Universal Studios Japan for 2020. (The year, not the ABC newsmagazine that’s on while your nana’s asleep on the couch.)
Word that Nintendo and Universal would be teaming up Mario & Luigi style for theme park funzos trickled out midway through last year, but now we’re getting some more details on what the video game giant would be bringing to the table. According to Sankei News (h/t Engadget), fans can expect something massive from this multiplayer enterprise. Namely, a ¥40 billion ($351.5 million U.S.) investment in a territory of the theme park that sounds similar to Universal’s the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.
Here’s a visual aide that showcases the area this entertainment option will encompass:
4) Busy start of 2016 for Nintendo. See the picture below for details (from Sankei: https://t.co/NRejTXGL6Q) // end pic.twitter.com/EMHunhgYFa
— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) March 5, 2016
As you might suspect, the 2020 target date syncs up with the Summer Olympics taking place in Tokyo. If tourists are making the trek to the games, they might consider heading to Osaka for amusement park thrills too. It’s a potential cash cow that could give Nintendo a lucrative revenue stream as the company’s finances are respectable but could be better.
Details on exactly what to expect are still a little vague, so let’s look at this statement the company released last year when all of this hullabaloo first started:
“The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games.”
The plural on “theme parks” sounds promising for those of us clamouring for a U.S. edition of the Mario-minded add-on. Here’s hoping Nintendo has something stateside in the not too distant future. Maybe with an attraction based on The Wizard if that’s not too much to ask.
