is a themed area at

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of ...

, and under construction at

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. About 70% of the studio lies within the unincorporated county island known as Universal City while the rest lies w ...

Universal Studios Singapore Universal Studios Singapore (abbreviation: USS) is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa at Sentosa, Singapore. It features 28 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. It is one of the six Universal Studios theme ...

and the upcoming Universal's Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort. A result of a partnership between

Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...

and

Universal Parks & Resorts Universal Parks & Resorts, also known as Universal Studios Theme Parks or solely Universal Theme Parks, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme par ...

, the area is based on Nintendo video game franchises, primarily the ''Mario'' franchise and its various sub-series. A creative partnership between Nintendo and Universal was first announced in May 2015, with construction of a dedicated Nintendo-themed area confirmed for Universal Studios Japan and both American locations the following year. Construction began on the Universal Studios Japan area in June 2017. Following several delays due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

the land had its grand opening at Universal Studios Japan on March 18, 2021. Super Nintendo World is currently under construction at Universal Studios Hollywood and will have its grand opening there on February 17, 2023, and will also be built as a section of Universal's Epic Universe. ''Mario'' creator and Nintendo creative fellow

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he ...

was heavily involved in the design and construction of the land and its attractions.

History

Following several years of declining gaming revenue and console market share,

sought avenues to leverage and develop its intellectual properties, entering into a theme park partnership with

. The partnership, announced in May 2015 and detailed the next year, would use ''Mario'' and other Nintendo franchises as themes in the dedicated areas of Universal theme parks. The billion ($351million U.S.) collaboration built for

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

is similar in scale to Universal's investment in the ''Harry Potter'' franchise. An interview video that previewed objects being constructed for the land was uploaded on November 29, 2016. The first concept image of Japan's iteration of the area was then unveiled on December 12, 2016. Construction on the land at Universal Studios Japan began in June 2017 with a

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are ...

ceremony. Following months of leaked information and patents, photographs of Universal Creative's

scale model A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...

for the Japan iteration of the area were leaked on July 8, 2019. On January 13, 2020, Universal unveiled the interactive Power-Up Bands and released a music video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

for the upcoming land, using the song " We Are Born to Play" by Galantis ft.

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

. The land's opening was initially planned for completion before the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

, but was delayed due to the

. On December 18, 2020, a

Nintendo Direct Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentation or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...

about the land went live on Nintendo's official YouTube channel, featuring ''Mario'' creator

hosting a tour around a small fraction of the land. On December 26, 2020, the land soft opened to limited previews for Universal Studios Japan annual passholders. On November 30, 2020, Universal officially announced that the land would open at Universal Studios Japan on February 4, 2021; however, in January the opening was once again delayed indefinitely after the Japanese government reimposed a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

in response to a third wave of COVID-19 infections in the city. However, guests with a Universal Studios Japan annual pass are allowed to visit the area as of February 4, 2021. It eventually opened to the public on March 18, 2021. A month after opening, the entirety of Universal Studios Japan closed from April 25 to June 7 of 2021, due to COVID-19. In November 2016, Universal announced that Super Nintendo World areas would also be built at both American Universal locations in Hollywood and Florida. Construction on the land at

began in 2019. The park there announced on March 10, 2022 that the land would be opening there in 2023. On December 14, 2022, the park officially announced that the land would open on February 17, 2023.

Design

Universal Studios Japan

At Universal Studios Japan, Super Nintendo World is wedged in at the northern end of the park, west of

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a chain of themed areas at Universal Parks & Resorts based on the ''Harry Potter'' media franchise, adapting elements from the Warner Bros.' film series and original novels by J. K. Rowling. The areas wer ...

and south of the Nintendo headquarters that are just outside of the property. Guests enter the area through a Warp Pipe from an entrance plaza. The entrance plaza can be accessed from a walkway that branches right next to the WaterWorld sign. The entrance plaza has lamp posts, a power star in the pavement, and Super Nintendo World signage next to the pipe. The pipe leads into

Princess Peach's Castle The is a fictional principality in Nintendo's ''Mario'' series. It is the setting of most main-series ''Mario'' games with an inconsistent presentation. There is no established canon regarding the topography of the ''Mario'' universe, and many ...

. When guests exit the castle, they enter the 2 level courtyard on the 2nd floor, immersed in the

Mushroom Kingdom The is a fictional principality in Nintendo's ''Mario'' series. It is the setting of most main-series ''Mario'' games with an inconsistent presentation. There is no established canon regarding the topography of the ''Mario'' universe, and many ...

with Bowser's Castle across the area. Several red, yellow and blue

Pikmin is a real-time strategy and puzzle video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, and published by Nintendo. The games focus on directing a horde of plant-like creatures called Pikmin in order to collect items by destroying obstacles, avoiding ...

can be found across the land on ledges, with some carrying objects like coins and a berry. Several costume character meet-and-greets are located throughout the area.

Princess Peach is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original '' Super Mario Bros.'' installment. She is the princess regnant and ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides ...

is stationed inside a

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...

-like structure next to her castle, while

Mario is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

and Luigi are near the entrance to the ''Yoshi's Adventure'' attraction.

Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

has no set meet-and-greet spot, with guests being able to visit him in different parts of the lower-level. On September 28, 2021, a

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

land expansion was announced to open in 2024, featuring a roller coaster, interactive experiences, and themed merchandise and food. From November 11, 2022 to January 6, 2023, the area will be decorated in festive winter-themed decorations, as part of the "No Limit! Christmas Event!"

Future locations

In November 2016, Universal confirmed that Super Nintendo World areas would be built at not just Universal Studios Japan but also at both American Universal locations in Hollywood and Florida. Construction on the land at Universal Studios Hollywood began in 2019; it will open on February 17, 2023, nearly 2 months before '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' premiere. On January 24, 2020, Universal confirmed that a Super Nintendo World themed area would be included in the upcoming Universal's Epic Universe park at Universal Orlando Resort. The park was originally scheduled to open in 2023, but the planned opening has been delayed to mid-2025 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also plans to bring Super Nintendo World to

, which is expected to be complete by 2025.

Attractions

Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Hollywood

Notes

References

External links

Universal Studios Japan: Super Nintendo World
{{Portal bar, Video games 2021 establishments in Japan Universal Studios Japan Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Orlando Universal Studios Singapore Nintendo

2023 establishments in California