Nintendo Land at Universal

[Mercenary]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/7/8564337/nintendo-universal-theme-park-licensing-deal

Nintendo's video game universe will soon come to life at Universal theme parks. The Japanese company today announced plans to create "spectacular, dedicated experiences" at Universal parks based on the characters and worlds of its video games.

The announcement comes on the heels of Nintendo's annual earnings report, which saw the company turn its first annual profit since 2011. Last year, Nintendo said it would "actively expand" licensing of its characters to third-party companies, something it's been very selective about in the past.

Details about its partnership with Universal remain slim. Nintendo did not disclose a timeline for its plans, nor did it specify what kind of "immersive experiences" the deal will entail, saying only that they'll involve its "most famous characters and games." Let's hope that includes a Rainbow Road roller coaster.

[The Destroyer]

Dibs on a Mario Kart motion ride.

[weather vane]

Banana land that there isn't a Nintendo Land already.

[loopydate]

My hunch is it either replaces the existing Toon Lagoon area or, when their license with Marvel reverts to Disney, it takes over the Marvel area in Islands of Adventure. This is really great news.

[The Destroyer]

To be fair, it's not like they've stated where these attractions are going. There's Universal parks in Japan, Singapore and California so there's no guarantee they'll appear in Florida.

Also, there is no expiry on the license for Universal to use Marvel stuff in the eastern US. So unless they decide to give it up voluntarily or after Disney pay them a shitload to get them out of it. the Marvel area won't be going anywhere.

[loopydate]

If Universal thinks they can make as much profit off Nintendo as they did with Marvel, they'll sell to Disney and use their money to build the new rides and make more money.

Honestly, at this point, Universal is playing the game perfectly. As somebody who used to work for Disney, it kills me to see it, but Marvel, Harry Potter, and now Nintendo are infinitely more interesting than New Fantasyland, Frozenpalooza, and the Avatar "land" they've been building forever. By the time that opens, people will care even less about Avatar than they do now (which is very little to begin with). Meanwhile, Nintendo is timeless. Potter is timeless. Universal gets what made Disney great in the first place.

[road doggy dogg]

Aren't 3 more Avatar movies coming out over the next 3 years or so?

[Ruien]

Its been forever since I even thought of Avatar.