The report claims that the new Nintendo land will be built just inside the park's front gate, to the left (east), next to the park's Hollywood land. That's currently back-of-house and event space for the park, according to the report.
The report said that the initial attraction in the new land will be themed to Mario, with additional food and merchandise locations included at opening and the potential for additional attractions later.
Nintendo and Universal last May announced a partnership to bring Nintendo-themed attractions to the Universal theme parks around the world. A US$350 million investment in one theme park land would indicate a Wizarding World of Harry Potter-level of development, with custom next-generation ride systems and top-quality fixtures and textures in place throughout.
Universal has not confirmed anything in the news report, and industry insiders have pushed back against some of the specifics in the report, though there remains consensus that Universal is moving ahead actively on Nintendo plans, and that official news from the Japanese park might be coming soon.
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I honestly hope though that Universal devotes as much time and resources to this Nintendo Land as possible. If that means Florida doesn't get Nintendo until 2034, then so be it. The enjoyment of videogames relies totally on interaction with the player. So capturing what's so great about videogames in theme park form will require a new level of theming and immersion. And just like I said before, videogame fans are much more crazy than movie fans and literary fans. So if Universal screws this up, the backlash would be catastrophic. I'm already predicting that there will be a good number of fanboys with unrealistic expectations that will let the slightest nitpicks ruin the whole experience for them. Lastly, if Universal gets this right, they will have proven once and for all that their creativity knows no bounds, that there is no limit to what they can achieve and that they can be just as good as Disney and, my Disney fanboyness is really making this hard for me to say but, better.
I'm like James in that Mario isn't my favorite Nintendo character but I'll say Mario is a great starting point. People with no interest in video games recognize the name "Mario". In many ways Mario is to video games what Mickey Mouse was to cartoons. If the primary icon does well, the remaining cast of characters will not be far behind him.
and just to geek out a little...
I'd love a ride where Slippy tells me "Do a barrel roll!"
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