Nowadays it seems every major pop
culture franchise in the world is looking for an opportunity to become a tangible
theme park attraction. It is no secret that Marvel is planning to open
expansion theme areas based on the Avengers in some of the theme parks of its
parent company Disney. And already the Wizarding World of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry
Potter” has its own theme area in Universal Studios Japan. Said Japanese theme
park is also set to open its latest licensed property collaboration with a
major videogame company. Soon, guests at USJ will say hello to Super Nintendo
World.
It is true, as IGN tells it. There will soon be a
themed area based on the games and characters of Nintendo that will open in
Universal Studios Japan this coming summer. Nintendo itself gave the official
announcement in the form of a collaborative music video with English singer
Charli XCX and Swedish electronica duo Galantis. The song, “We Are Born to Play,”
showcases what fans of the Japanese gaming giant can expect from Super Nintendo
World when it opens in Universal Studios Japan. While no actual footage of the
themed area was shown, the music video helps visualize what the experience will
be like.
The music video begins with
Nintendo gamers having fun with their Nintendo Switch systems all over the
world (even in space as evidenced by the astronaut in the space station).
Suddenly, green pipes that are familiar to all who have played Nintendo’s
iconic “Super Mario” game franchise, start popping up. The gamers jump into
them to arrive at a Mario World come to life. Nintendo looks to make Super
Nintendo World a real-life videogame environment by utilizing wristbands
similar to Disney MagicBand that will interface with guests’ mobile devices so
they can participate in a “life-sized living videogame” while exploring.
So far, the majority theme for
Super Nintendo World is understandably that of their “Super Mario” series. The “Power
Up Bands” issued to guests will have characters from the franchise in their
design such as Mario, Luigi, Princesses Peach and Daisy, and more. The
downloadable smartphone app that interfaces with the bands will show a map of
Super Nintendo World, where they can collect virtual game coins, play game
challenges with other guests, and more. Aside from the app, there is also
allegedly some connectivity with the Nintendo Switch in its portable form, and
they can be used to spice up attraction rides based on Mario spinoffs like “Mario
Kart.”
Super Nintendo World is expected
to open in Universal Studios Japan sometime before the opening of the 2020
Tokyo Summer Olympics, which also has Nintendo as a major licensing partner. In
addition, a stateside Super Nintendo World area will also be expected to open
sometime soon in Universal Studios Hollywood.
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