Great news today for people desperate to finally find out what it’s like to stare a Goomba dead in the eyes—but who don’t want to leave the East Coast to do so—as Nintendo and Universal Studios finally confirmed that their new joint venture, Super Nintendo World, will be getting its own version at the Florida installment of the theme park. The news arrived earlier today, as Universal gets ready to open the California version of Super Nintendo World (itself patterned on the Japanese version that’s been running for nearly two years at this point) to the public this Friday, inviting Los Angeles parkgoers to experience the fantastic thrills and adrenaline-pumping adventures of being Chris Pratt, cashing a large paycheck for yelling “Wa-hoo!” in an audio recording booth. (Pratt was also in attendance at the opening festivities today; his Super Mario Bros. Movie is out in April.)
This is all per Deadline, which reports that Universal Studios bigwig Mark Woodbury referred to the planned Orlando version of the Nintendo park as “the worst-kept secret in history.” (This, presumably, because a Comcast executive let slip news about the plans way back in 2020.) The Florida Nintendo World won’t exist on its own, either; it’s part of a massive “Epic Universe” park that was originally announced as an addition to the Universal Orlando Resort back in 2019, but which has faced fairly serious pandemic-related delays over the last four years. There’s no official word on when the park will open, although NBCUniversal execs have previously said they’re aiming for Summer 2025.
We’ll have more coverage on the California version of Super Nintendo World soon; the park’s announcement has met with a pretty hefty amount of excitement—and also a bit of criticism, after reports emerged of preview users unhappy with size restrictions on the area’s sole ride, the Mario Kart-themed Bowser’s Challenge.