Nintendo Co. fans can soon experience a life-sized video game via a new attraction at Universal Studios Japan. Super Nintendo World is slated to open this summer in Osaka, featuring a Power Up Band wearable that lets visitors collect coins and battle bosses while exploring a physical environment. Users track their progress via a smartphone app, according to the theme park operator owned by NBCUniversal LLC.
“Super Nintendo World will provide an experience you cannot have anywhere else,” USJ Chief Executive Officer J. L. Bonnier said at a briefing in Osaka on Tuesday. He wouldn’t divulge further details about rides or other digital offerings, or when they will be available.
Little is known about the attraction, which amounts to a mini theme park developed with Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Universal Studios hinted it will follow classic Nintendo game themes, revolving around a mission to recover a golden mushroom stolen by Bowser Jr., a perennial Mario antagonist.
The attraction will also house familiar game locations including the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario Kart, Peach’s Castle and Bowser’s Fortress. Super Nintendo World will also make it to the operator’s parks in Hollywood, Orlando and Singapore, though no dates are available.
Nintendo’s late President, Satoru Iwata, first announced plans for a theme park in May 2015 as part of a broader opening-up of the company’s iconic characters for use beyond its own devices. At the time, the move prompted speculation that the Kyoto-based game maker may follow Walt Disney Co.’s strategy when it comes to maximizing the value of their intellectual properties.
Since then, Nintendo has launched a number of smartphone games, including a free-to-play version of the Mario Kart franchise, but making hit titles exclusive to its own hardware is still the core business.
