Move aside Disneyland. Nintendo will be having a theme park in Osaka sometime before the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. It was stated earlier that Nintendo was working with Universal Studios in order to build this new theme park. With plans being solidified, the full release of the theme park has been dated.
According to Nintendo Life, it is still not clear what exactly will be featured at the theme park, it is however cited that the ‘Mario themed area’ has a $500 million dollar investment by Universal Studios Japan, which is noted to far exceed the fantastic Harry Potter themed area in USJ.
That said, Universal Studios has already suggested the existence of various other themed areas based on Nintendo’s extensive list of IPs. More information regarding the theme park is expected to be announced later on in the year.
It’s strange that it has taken Nintendo this long, but it’s not like ‘Nintendo Theme Park’ is completely out of left field. Several years ago, Nintendo had opened up the PokePark, which was a theme park completely based on the Pokemon series. It was met with success with over 4 million attendees during its lifespan.
Not only that, but themed venues have started to become a step that Nintendo has wanted to explore more, especially with the existence of the Kirby cafe later this year. Hurray for more things to check out in Japan!