Epic Universe Expansion Speculation

[fryoj]

So animal cossing is Nintendo Farmville?

 

[luckoftheirish]

So animal cossing is Nintendo Farmville?

It's more of life Sim. There's really not much farming in it

 

[IndyRs]

I've probably said more than necessary about Zelda being included but I'll add on this.
It's kinda sad to think Zelda would never get the space it deserves.
Having a water ride that's themed to Zora's would be so gorgeous.
Having a mountain mine cart coaster through death mountain would be thrilling.
Having a mild kid friendly coaster track ride through lush green kokiri forest would be relaxing.

 

[OrlLover]

I know it’s been stated before but Universal Creative truly has their hands full.

• Potential park in the UK
• Epic expansions/additions
• USF Revamp/expansion
• IOA investments
• Plus other parks around the globe

 

[gravityfalls]

If it was just Universal Creative making the decisions I'm sure we would see Nintendo's three biggest properties equally distributed across the parks (Mario at Epic, Zelda at IOA, and Pokemon at Studios). Luigi's Mansion is a perfect fit for the space inbetween Super Nintendo World and Monsters. Mario Galaxy matches the aesthetic of Celestial Park. But Universal has to make these decisions in conjunction with Nintendo, and Nintendo is a very very odd company.

In an interview with Miyamoto on why Super Nintendo World only includes Mario characters he said "There was discussion about adding other IP like Splatoon, but instead of being scattered, we thought it would be best to have something focused and make something that is quality and good. That's why we ended up starting with Mario."

So while Zelda is the obvious pick for IOA, I wouldn't be surprised if Lost Continent sticks around and instead we end up with Splatoon Lagoon and Epic gets Zelda instead. I think anything is possible at this point.

 

[quinnmac000]

I think arguably Animal Crossing has some unique features that makes it ironically good for a theme park land with fresh applications than other IPs at this time have not displayed that have made the same level of appeal. Look at Nintendo's intention as well with SNW.

If i remember one thing Nintendo really wanted was interaction. I remember Shigeru Miyamoto in one interview asking Universal why it couldn't be a full fledge park with grass and things and the team had to explain to him things but one thing they value is interaction of things for all people. I think that is where Animal Crossing signs even more than Zelda and the answer to that lies within the elements of the animal crossing game. The elements to this are collection, customization, interaction, and time.

ET Adventure and Universal Studios Japan Hello Kitty Meet and Greet utilize fun things to allow the guest to fill part of the action with the character saying their name. Mario Bands allow you a way to interact and collect things. Interactive wands allow you to create effects from afar. Po live also for guest participation. Know what IP makes sense to combine all those elements? Animal Crossing. Because you are playing truly as you, not as precreated and determined character who in the end has to do ABC.

I would imagine Universal would sell something like a Nook Passbook that you would connect to the app, where you are able to collect things and using a combination of projection mapping and next gen design and act as a record for your time with the characters...lets say you design a shirt for a character and you open your nook passbook, you are able to give it to the character and the design you created would show up as if they put on the gift following by a response using screens/AI or even AR technology. (Mind you, i know the dangerous implications of people being massively inappropriate with designs but I'm sure they can have a person filtering). Or you give trash as a present to a character, now the data would be recorded and then the character would remember that (similar to what Disney was trying to do with Batuu but failed).

I love Splatoon but truthfully I would argue if Universal adds another waterpark thats a theme park, Splatoon actually is a great option.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Splatoon, AC, and Kirby all feel on the level of "fun shop or diversion" over themed land or massive E-Ticket.

 

[mccgavin]

Splatoon could absolutely work as a themed land, but unlike some of Nintendo's other properties, I don't think it has enough of a following in the United States to warrant its inclusion (USJ may be a different story). A water ride probably wouldn't be the best fit for it due to its urban/big city setting, as well as the fact that the Inklings have a deadly reaction to touching water.

 

[jarmor]

If it was just Universal Creative making the decisions I'm sure we would see Nintendo's three biggest properties equally distributed across the parks (Mario at Epic, Zelda at IOA, and Pokemon at Studios). Luigi's Mansion is a perfect fit for the space inbetween Super Nintendo World and Monsters. Mario Galaxy matches the aesthetic of Celestial Park. But Universal has to make these decisions in conjunction with Nintendo, and Nintendo is a very very odd company.

In an interview with Miyamoto on why Super Nintendo World only includes Mario characters he said "There was discussion about adding other IP like Splatoon, but instead of being scattered, we thought it would be best to have something focused and make something that is quality and good. That's why we ended up starting with Mario."

So while Zelda is the obvious pick for IOA, I wouldn't be surprised if Lost Continent sticks around and instead we end up with Splatoon Lagoon and Epic gets Zelda instead. I think anything is possible at this point.

Wait, what is odd about wanting cohesiveness and something focused vs just throwing all kinda Nintendo characters in an area?

 

[fryoj]

South Park would make an awesome land.


But it's never happening.

 

[Loki]

I know it’s been stated before but Universal Creative truly has their hands full.

• Potential park in the UK
• Epic expansions/additions
• USF Revamp/expansion
• IOA investments
• Plus other parks around the globe

Plus that HHN year round thing they are doing in Texas

 

[theuberguberman]

Plus that HHN year round thing they are doing in Texas

New park in Texas, HHN year-round in Vegas
Both very exciting though! I agree-- they've really got their hands full. It's a great time to be a Universal fan!

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I know it’s been stated before but Universal Creative truly has their hands full.

• Potential park in the UK
• Epic expansions/additions
• USF Revamp/expansion
• IOA investments
• Plus other parks around the globe

And this is why USH development feels very slow/empty. They have their hands full.

Lot of the future depends on Epic Universe being a major success.

 

[Loki]

New park in Texas, HHN year-round in Vegas
Both very exciting though! I agree-- they've really got their hands full. It's a great time to be a Universal fan!

You're right. I flipped those.

 

[TheUniC6]

Lost Continent sticks around and instead we end up with Splatoon Lagoon and Epic gets Zelda instead

If Zelda goes to Epic, another option for a LC replacement would a Shrek land assuming Shrek 5 does well.

 

[gravityfalls]

Wait, what is odd about wanting cohesiveness and something focused vs just throwing all kinda Nintendo characters in an area?

I just meant that Nintendo makes decisions that can be perceived as odd. Everyone thought/ wanted Nintendo to follow up the GameCube with a more powerful console to compete with Playstation, instead they focused in on motion controls and gave us the Wii.

There was a rumor going around that Nintendo insisted that Universal use the Tikis instead of Kremlins as the villains for the Donkey Kong area. The DK Mine Cart is rumored to be a low-capacity ride (single four person carts instead of multiple carts or six person carts), to me, it feels like that could be the result of creative decisions by Nintendo.

Before we had any details, most people thought a Mario Kart would be similar to Test Track. Some show scenes and a high-speed portion. Instead we ended up with a slow-moving attraction.

So, I wouldn't be surprised if the rides/lands that seem obvious now don't come to fruition (Pokemon at Studios, Zelda at IOA, Luigi's at Epic) and instead Nintendo gets fixated on a more obscure property or technology. Something that we would think of as odd, like a Paper Mario expansion to Super Nintendo World.

 

[jarmor]

So what you are saying because they didn't fulfill the bluesky dreams and wants/need of arm chair creatives and took a more realistic approach to the execution of the land, it is deemed as "odd". And I don't think anyone thought Mario kart would be like test track/radiator springs racers, I think it was more of a hoping it would be especially seeing what the park did with the fast and furious franchise (up to this point).

 

[Jake S]

So what you are saying because they didn't fulfill the bluesky dreams and wants/need of arm chair creatives and took a more realistic approach to the execution of the land, it is deemed as "odd". And I don't think anyone thought Mario kart would be like test track/radiator springs racers, I think it was more of a hoping it would be especially seeing what the park did with the fast and furious franchise (up to this point).

That's not how I'm reading their posts. Nintendo is an odd, idiosyncratic company that at times makes decisions that are difficult to understand from the outside. You can argue that's precisely why the company has been so successful, of course, but it does make forecasting what they'll do next challenging.

 

[gravityfalls]

So what you are saying because they didn't fulfill the bluesky dreams and wants/need of arm chair creatives and took a more realistic approach to the execution of the land, it is deemed as "odd". And I don't think anyone thought Mario kart would be like test track/radiator springs racers, I think it was more of a hoping it would be especially seeing what the park did with the fast and furious franchise (up to this point).

Yeah pretty much, I think the word "odd" was poorly chosen by me to get my point across. Essentially I don't think armchair imagineering will line up 100% with what will actually be built.

I don't think Zelda at IOA, Luigi's at Epic, and Pokemon at Studios is necessarily a done deal (some of that will be built we have seen patents for Zelda and Pokemon is being developed for Japan). They might throw a curveball at us.

And the Test Track example is more of what people would say if you asked them what they wanted out of a Mario ride back in 2010 or something.

 

[TheUniC6]

Yeah pretty much, I think the word "odd" was poorly chosen by me to get my point across. Essentially I don't think armchair imagineering will line up 100% with what will actually be built.

I don't think Zelda at IOA, Luigi's at Epic, and Pokemon at Studios is necessarily a done deal (some of that will be built we have seen patents for Zelda and Pokemon is being developed for Japan). They might throw a curveball at us.

And the Test Track example is more of what people would say if you asked them what they wanted out of a Mario ride back in 2010 or something.

Pokemon for USF is rumored to be entirely different from what USJ is getting.