The western version of the park will open in 2023.
Yesterday, in honor of MAR10 Day, the day Nintendo uses every year to celebrate its primary mascot, Super Mario, Universal Studios Hollywood made an announcement many have been waiting for: the western version of Nintendo’s Super Nintendo World theme park will be coming to Universal Studios Hollywood in California next year.
The original Super Nintendo World opened last year at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, though ongoing concerns with COVID-19 necessitated restricted attendance and operation. Recently, Los Angeles lifted its outdoor face mask mandate, so if COVID cases are relatively low this time next year, then the Hollywood version should have a more bombastic opening. Assuming everything goes to plan, this will be the first major expansion Universal Hollywood has received since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2016.
As for what will actually be in the park, Universal has kept most of the details to themselves, but they are promising “exhilarating entertainment with innovative technological achievements inspired by characters and video games that have appealed to generations of Nintendo fans for over 40 years.” The Japanese park features some impressive attractions, the most notable being an AR-powered Mario Kart race course, so hopefully the Hollywood park will have similar features.
Prior to the park’s opening, Universal Hollywood’s various gift shops will begin stocking original Nintendo-inspired merchandise, including hats, t-shirts, and plush toys.
