We’ve already talked a great deal about how Nintendo is taking over Universal Orlando and its close-by areas over the next couple of years, between a Super Nintendo World attraction, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong sections, and even a Pokemon setup. But now things are getting serious, as visitors may soon be able to pay Hyrule a visit with a special The Legend of Zelda exhibit and/or ride!
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This report from Theme Park University suggests that the theme park is looking to replace its entire Lost Continue at Islands of Adventure with something Zelda themed, going from Seuss Landing all the way to Hogsmeade and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (That’s a lot of space, by the way.) This is based on “several credit sources around the themed entertainment industry,” though Universal Orlando itself didn’t confirm it just yet.
This makes sense, considering that The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, with Breath of the Wild clearing millions of copies across the board on Nintendo Switch and Wii U.
The report indicates that “the scope of the Nintendo project changed at Universal Orlando” and though “originally slated to replace only the Kids Zone at Universal Studios Florida,” the land is now being represented by several Nintendo franchises, considering their popularity.
Comcast, Universal Orlando’s owner, reportedly became this aggressive as a way to compete more head-on with Disney and its exhibits. As a result, Nintendo’s exhibits will now cover across three separate areas, including Universal Studios Florida. Fortunately, they’ll all be close together, so Nintendo fans won’t have to wander far to see everything that they’re all about.
This, on top of plans for both Universal Studios in Hollywood and Japan, should give Nintendo a greater deal of exposure when it comes to theme parks. That’s something that probably both Universal and Nintendo are counting on, so that tourism will be bumped up and more people will come visit their interactive worlds.
Granted, it’ll be awhile before we see them in action, as they’re not even likely to open until late 2019 or early 2020 at the earliest. But we’ll let you know what plans get confirmed down the road — you know, after we’re done booking our vacation to Orlando.
If you want Legend of Zelda bliss in the meantime, you can check out Breath of the Wild now for Nintendo Switch and Wii U!
(Hat tip to Theme Park University for the details!)
