Gamers everywhere rejoice.
Nintendo and Universal Parks & Resorts just announced that they will be creating “spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds” to Universal theme parks.
The agreement between these two giants is seen as a major move by Nintendo to expand the reach and popularity of its characters and intellectual property.
Nintendo may be getting into developing new video content based on its characters, according to reports. It’s even been rumored to be developing a live-action Legend of Zelda series with Netflix, but Nintendo has denied that.
“This is a first of its kind deal for Nintendo, which previously has been extraordinarily protective of its IP,” writes Variety reporter Chris Morris. “As the Wii U console has struggled against the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, though, the company has been aggressively exploring other ways to capitalize on its holdings. Two months ago, Nintendo announced a partnership with Japanese mobile giant DeNA to bring games featuring its characters to Android and iOS mobile devices.”
The announcement says:
Universal theme parks offer incredibly popular, innovative themed family entertainment experiences based on compelling stories and characters – using powerful storytelling and innovative technology. Nintendo has created remarkable and imaginative worlds filled with captivating stories and beloved characters. Now, for the first time, those stories and characters will be brought to life in entirely new ways – only at Universal theme parks.”
The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games. More details will be announced in the future, as the Nintendo and Universal creative teams work to create specific concepts.
One can only assume there will be a whole lot of Mario and his friends and enemies involved. Characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Wario, and others have been capturing the imaginations of children and adults alike for decades. And that’s not to mention the Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Kirby, Star Fox, and Pokémon franchises. Personally, I’m hoping for some Punch-Out themed attractions.
Whatever Nintendo and Universal come up with is sure to draw a huge amount of people beyond what the theme parks already have to offer.
Images via Nintendo (Facebook)