Updated:
As construction on Universal Studios Japan's Super Nintendo World nears completion, the company has decided to delay the opening of the theme park indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Super Nintendo World was originally slated to open on July 1. The new park would have increased visitor numbers to Universal Studios Japan, which is already attempting to keep the number of guests at a minimum by only allowing park visitors who are annual pass holders or from the six prefectures of Kansai. No official opening date has been given. The original story follows.
Pop culture theme parks are all the rage right now. Universal Studios Orlando has popular attractions like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Springfield (home of The Simpsons) while Disney recently opened Galaxy’s Edge, its Star Wars theme park.
Now, new details have been released about the newest entry into this increasingly crowded space: Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World. After breaking ground back in 2017, Universal Studios Japan and Nintendo have recently released more information about what to expect from the project.
See Also: Disney announces opening dates for Star Wars-themed parks
In the same way Galaxy’s Edge was designed to make guests feel as if they were staring in their own Star Wars adventure, Super Nintendo World wants to make people feel like they have been teleported inside their favorite Nintendo games, with Universal Studios Japan describing the park as “a life-size, living video game.”
Guests will be able to explore Mushroom Kingdom, Peach’s Castle, and Bowser’s Fortress and also play a real life version of Mario Kart. Custom designed wrist bands, dubbed Power Up Bands, will link to a smart phone app and connect guests to iconic Nintendo items throughout the land, like coins, keeping track of what they earn and competing against other guests.
Super Nintendo World is slated for completion this summer ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Dec 6, 2022
Houston developer plans to convert Kevin Roche-designed ConocoPhillips HQ to mixed-use destination
Houston-based Midway, a real estate investment, development, and management firm, plans to redevelop the former ConocoPhillips corporate headquarters site into a mixed-use destination called Watermark District at Woodcreek.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 8, 2022
6 hotel design trends for 2022-2023
Personalization of the hotel guest experience shapes new construction and renovation, say architects and construction experts in this sector.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 200 Contractors for 2022
Turner Construction, STO Building Group, Whiting-Turner, and DPR Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest general contractors, CM at risk firms, and design-builders for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Cultural Facilities | Aug 5, 2022
A time and a place: Telling American stories through architecture
As the United States enters the year 2026, it will commence celebrating a cycle of Sestercentennials, or 250th anniversaries, of historic and cultural events across the land.
Museums | Jun 28, 2022
The California Science Center breaks grounds on its Air and Space Center
The California Science Center—a hands-on science center in Los Angeles—recently broke ground on its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 15, 2022
Gehry-designed Children’s Institute aims to foster community outreach in L.A.’s Watts neighborhood
The Children’s Institute (CII) in Los Angeles will open a 200,000-sf campus designed by Frank Gehry this summer.
K-12 Schools | May 16, 2022
Private faculty offices are becoming a thing of the past at all levels of education
Perkins & Will’s recent design projects are using the area to encourage collaboration.
Events Facilities | May 13, 2022
Sloan opens new showroom and office in Chicago's Fulton Market District
The flagship showroom highlights Sloan’s full suite of aesthetic, hygienic commercial restroom products.