Super Nintendo World, the theme park area at Universal Studios Japan (Osaka) that brings the world of Mario and his friends to life, finally opened to the public today. An opening ceremony was held at the Super Star Plaza, the entrance to the new area.
The ceremony featured a guest appearance by Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Nintendo designer who created Mario, along with USJ CEO JL Bonnier and Mario and Luigi’s life-size mascots.
“I am very happy to have been able to inaugurate the first fully realized Super Mario experience in the world to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Super Mario”Miyamoto said.
“I felt that if Nintendo was going to work together with Universal Creative, we should aim to do something the world has never seen before. With this as our motto, we have implemented the latest technology along with every ounce of experience that Nintendo and Universal have accumulated. until now, to deliver the true heart of Super Mario. “he continued.
He concluded by stating that “When the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, I hope that people from all over the world will come visit USJ.”.
Currently, Super Nintendo World features attractions based primarily on characters from the Super Mario and Mario Kart games, with Easter eggs nodding to franchises like Pikmin also found in the park. Bloomberg has previously quoted USJ as commenting that an area of Donkey Kong would be coming, but USJ has not mentioned this for its part. That said, theme parks tend to develop their attractions over time, and the USJ has been especially aggressive in this regard, adding new permanent and temporary attractions on a regular basis. So future attractions with other Nintendo characters seem like a reasonable possibility.
When asked if there are plans to add Nintendo characters from series other than Mario games and their derivatives, USJ CEO Bonnier said: “I can only really talk about what we have at the moment, but I will say that USJ and our parent company have a long-term plan.” for Super Nintendo World.
Grand opening of Super Nintendo World! Mario, Luigi, and Mario’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto will also appear at the opening ceremony! pic.twitter.com/ZNpTDDRUIK
— IGN Japan (@IGNJapan) March 17, 2021
To learn more about Super Nintendo World, check out our photo gallery of IGN Japan’s visit to the new park area, a gallery of more than 150 photos of food and park products.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, entry to Japan for foreign passport holders currently remains suspended until further notice. Super Nintendo World is slated to become part of other Universal Studios sites around the world, including Orlando, Hollywood, and Singapore, but the opening of the Orlando attraction has been delayed until 2025.
