Pokemon Theme Park: Everything We Know About the Universal Studios Deal

By Megan Peters

It seems no matter where you go that Pokemon can be found. From books to television and video games, the franchise is everywhere. Now, it turns out Pokemon is bringing its flavor to the world of theme parks, and the exciting news dropped over in Japan less than a day ago.

Of course, Pokemon fans have a ton of questions about the theme park debut, and ComicBook.com has pooled together what info we know. If you are wanting to check out Pikachu at Universal Studios, you will need to wait a bit because the deal isn't going live until 2022.

As we mentioned earlier today, Universal Studios Japan is bringing the deal to light with The Pokemon Company as part of a long-term work deal. A variety of projects will come from the deal with the first going live in 2022. The Pokemon Company says several of its characters will join the park as companions, so Pikachu mascots will be dancing around the park.

To reiterate, the first Pokemon collaboration will go live in 2022, so guests will need to keep up to date with COVID-19 travel guidelines. Japan has fairly rigid rules about visitors coming in from foreign countries. Of course, this landscape will change as the pandemic falls to expanded vaccination efforts. But in these wild times, well - it never hurts to stay informed!

This marks the first Pokemon theme park collab with Universal Studios, but the franchise has done attractions at other parks in Japan. A few years ago, it was reported Universal Studios Orlando was adding a Pokemon section to its kids' zone. At the time, it was reported the park would debut by 2020, but no official plans have ever been announced.

As for Universal Studios Japan, the park has put forth a major focus on Nintendo in the last few years. The park opened its Super Nintendo World area this spring and an expansion is in the works. The new phase will focus on Donkey Kong and is slated to open in 2024. And if this partnership goes well, it seems Pokemon could get its own land further down the line. 

Are you hyped for Pokemon to get its theme park debut? Do you think this collaboration will make its way stateside? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT - ANN

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