Soon, Nintendo fans will be able to hob-nob with popular video game characters such as Mario or even explore the dungeons along with Link as he attempts to rescue Princess Zelda.
Nintendo has finally taken the plunge and collaborated with Universal Parks and Resorts to create its first-ever character-based attractions and rides based on its popular franchises, which may include Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.
On Thursday, May 7, the two companies announced their partnership, which aims to bring the magical world of Nintendo to life at Universal's popular theme parks.
"Now, for the first time, those stories and characters will be brought to life in entirely new ways," revealed the two companies in a joint statement.
The partnership will be help Nintendo extend its reach and expand the popularity of its IP and characters — just like Disney. Universal Parks and Resorts is owned by NBCUniversal. It has several theme parks all over the world, namely Orlando and Hollywood in the U.S., Osaka in Japan and Singapore. Universal also has plans to create theme parks in Beijing, China and Moscow, Russia.
According to the collaboration, Nintendo's popular video game characters will only be featured in resorts and theme parks belonging to Universal. However, what the exact terms of the deal are is not known at this juncture.
Which theme park will get the Nintendo character-based attractions first is also not clear. Moreover, it is not known which characters Universal will be focusing on. Nintendo too is keeping mum and simply let on that it will feature "Nintendo's most famous characters and games."
Both Nintendo and Universal Park and Resorts are anticipated to divulge additional details in the coming month at the Universal Studios popular theme park in Osaka, Japan — which is Nintendo's home country. Apparently, the creative teams of both Universal and Nintendo are working on the concepts.
