Universal Parks & Resorts have announced that development is underway for new themed areas in partnership with Nintendo according to a press release.

The Nintendo-themed areas will be coming to Universal Studios Japan, Universal Orlando Resort, and Universal Studios Hollywood. A video accompanied the announcement featuring Mark Woodbury (President of Universal Creative) and Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo Creative Fellow, Game Designer, and father of Mario & countless other beloved Nintendo characters) talking about the plans for the coming attractions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9j-MHzwEQ8&feature=youtu.be

The new park areas will be filled with shops, attractions, and restaurants based on classic Nintendo franchises. A particular attention to interactivity and immersion is being placed on these attractions with the goal to make visitors feel as if they are inside the world of Nintendo games. Mario is clearly front-and-center and will certainly feature heavily in the design of these new sections of Universal Parks & Resorts, but which other Nintendo franchises will make an appearance and how they will be implemented has not yet been announced.

Universal's parks have experience with interactive entertainment. For example, the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts attraction makes use of an interactive wand in the course of the ride. Although the design is intended to be fun for visitors regardless of their age or game-playing ability, some of the more intense attractions will likely follow similar safety requirements as other rides. In most cases, the minimum is 42" (106.7 cm) with a stipulation that children near the lower end of the height range must be accompanied on the attraction by a parent.

"We are constantly amazed how the park developers are bringing the essence of our games to life in the real world. Together, we are building it with an eye for what guests will actually experience." -Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo Creative Fellow & Game Designer

This announcement comes as the result of a partnership between Nintendo and Universal. The planning and development of the new sections of Universal Parks & Resorts is already well underway. Each of the individual park locations in Japan, Florida, and California will be announcing the details about their implementation of the creative team's ideas separately as they near completion.

What do you think about the forthcoming Nintendo-themed areas to Universal Parks & Resorts? Will you be visiting any of the parks exclusively for whatever attractions they may hold? What would you hope to see in them? Let us know in the comments below!