State of USH - What's Next?

[Freak]

Would it just be a storage/warehouse in that case?

It would just be used for FFN and HHN. The short turnaround time it would require to construct and operate it would not allow much time for storage.

 

[theblueblurr]

I was sort of wondering where everyone was getting Poke'mon from (I'd love to see it, too) and then I remembered the announcement made earlier this year about bringing Poke'mon to the "other resorts". Not sure how that one fell out of my memory (I blame work). If that replaces Simpsons, Arceus help us all. Universal attendance and prices 'bout to explode.

 

[Freak]

I was sort of wondering where everyone was getting Poke'mon from (I'd love to see it, too) and then I remembered the announcement made earlier this year about bringing Poke'mon to the "other resorts". Not sure how that one fell out of my memory (I blame work). If that replaces Simpsons, Arceus help us all. Universal attendance and prices 'bout to explode.

I’m more scared about those bloody Pokemon card scalpers more than the crowds.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I was sort of wondering where everyone was getting Poke'mon from (I'd love to see it, too) and then I remembered the announcement made earlier this year about bringing Poke'mon to the "other resorts". Not sure how that one fell out of my memory (I blame work). If that replaces Simpsons, Arceus help us all. Universal attendance and prices 'bout to explode.

They announced Pokemon are coming to other resorts and unless they can't....would make little to no since for Pokemon not to come here

The reason think Pokemon could replace simpsons is because Spiderman in Japan is being replaced with Pokemon and its the closest thing we have we have here to replace it but the land footprint is tiny compared to Orlando and others

 

[Mr_Pendington]

I was sort of wondering where everyone was getting Poke'mon from (I'd love to see it, too) and then I remembered the announcement made earlier this year about bringing Poke'mon to the "other resorts". Not sure how that one fell out of my memory (I blame work). If that replaces Simpsons, Arceus help us all. Universal attendance and prices 'bout to explode.

HOPEFULLY the rise of attendance would mean it wouldn't need to take 5 years to get literally anything.

 

[theblueblurr]

I’m more scared about those bloody Pokemon card scalpers more than the crowds.

Oh for real, people these days have no shame. Now I feel embarrassed when I forget I'm wearing something with a Poke'mon on it out grocery shopping to Target or something because I think everyone else believes I'm one of those losers willing to throw hands for shiny cardboard. Maybe things are helped slightly by the fact that USH is sure to upcharge a hefty amount already. But given the scalper situation for other park products (pins, t-shirts, popcorn buckets, etc.), I doubt it. I hope Universal prepares for that problem. Maybe they think it's a good problem to have. But it's sad to see how far we've fallen in that regard.

 

[Jerroddragon]

HOPEFULLY the rise of attendance would mean it wouldn't need to take 5 years to get literally anything.

I would not hold my breathe

Everyone here knows I want more USH but they seem to be fine with just doing things every few years

Orlando has three parks, so they get a new ride/show every year every other year

Best bet would be we get more events at the park and some events like Fan Fest and Mega Movie summer and so on get more budget

 

[theblueblurr]

I just wish they'd let us keep something for ourselves for a change!

We get King Kong 360 3D? They get a better King Kong 360 3D.

We get Transformers? They get Transformers.

We get Super Nintendo World? They get Super Nintendo World + Donkey Kong Country.

We get Hollywood Drift? They get Hollywood Drift?!

C'mon!

 

[Mr_Pendington]

I guess that's just the price to pay to go to the only theme parking with a working studio

I hope someday they figure out something to get more property offsite for a new theme park, USH being on a hill sadly just makes most expansions unviable

 

[Mr_Pendington]

We get Hollywood Drift? They get Hollywood Drift?!

In a YEAR, versus our three

 

[TheUniC6]

To be honest, my dream would be Darkmoore retrofitted from Springfield. I would like to see a Monsters-themed coaster occupy the Simpsons plot. You could easily retheme the restaurants to Darkmoore. Heck you could retrofit the pizza restaurant and the donut shop to fit if desired. I think Darkmoore would work great.

Personal speculation, but I think they will probably make that area Pokemon. You could retheme the restaurants to Pokemon, maybe have a couple of randomly places animatronics like Burke, and then have the Simpsons replacement be a Pokemon Stadium show.

If Pokemon comes to USH, Simpsons is probably the logical or only place it will go in. Part of me ponders if it will be the ride that was originally planned for USF before plans shifted to IOA.

 

[theblueblurr]

If Pokemon comes to USH, Simpsons is probably the logical or only place it will go in. Part of me ponders if it will be the ride that was originally planned for USF before plans shifted to IOA.

Is that what's planned to replace the Lost Continent now?

 

[mccgavin]

Oh for real, people these days have no shame. Now I feel embarrassed when I forget I'm wearing something with a Poke'mon on it out grocery shopping to Target or something because I think everyone else believes I'm one of those losers willing to throw hands for shiny cardboard.

I do not think this is a fair assessment at all. A large amount of the scalpers are not "fans". They are purely in the game of getting these cards because the resale market is lucrative, not because they have any attachment to the franchise itself.

 

[theblueblurr]

I do not think this is a fair assessment at all. A large amount of the scalpers are not "fans". They are purely in the game of getting these cards because the resale market is lucrative, not because they have any attachment to the franchise itself.

What I mean to say is that, the casual observer out shopping who sees me covered in Poke'garb probably sees no difference between a fan like myself and someone whose trying to ruin Christmas for their kid by scalping product (or as one of those folks on their viral video Facebook feed throwing hands in a Costco). I understand that not all scalpers have Charizard on their back or are truly fans of the product they peddle, but as someone who makes Trading Cards for a living, believe me when I say the Venn diagram of Fan/Profit Seekers overlaps more than you realize.

 

[mccgavin]

What I mean to say is that, the casual observer out shopping who sees me covered in Poke'garb probably sees no difference between a fan like myself and someone whose trying to ruin Christmas for their kid by scalping product (or as one of those folks on their viral video Facebook feed throwing hands in a Costco). I understand that not all scalpers have Charizard on their back, but as someone who makes Trading Cards for a living, believe me when I say the Venn diagram of Fan/Profit Seekers overlaps more than you realize.

I really don't think its that serious... While the scalping of cards is a known issue, it is not something that defines the fandom, or is something that the general public would really care about. This may be something that's more visible to you, since you are involved with trading cards, but almost nobody is going to see Pokémon apparel and have scalping be the first thing that comes to mind. The franchise as a whole is much bigger than that.

 

[theblueblurr]

I really don't think its that serious... While the scalping of cards is a known issue, it is not something that defines the fandom, or is something that the general public would really care about. This may be something that's more visible to you, since you are involved with trading cards, but almost nobody is going to see Pokémon apparel and have scalping be the first thing that comes to mind. The franchise as a whole is much bigger than that.

I wish I shared your mindset. Though I agree the scalping of product should not define the fandom, it has certainly reached a point with this one where fans are more affected than they've ever been previously. That is, if they're looking for just about any Poke'product. Poke'mon announces a Jukebox to play music? It sells out immediately. Want Poke'mon product from Best Buy or Wal-Mart at MSRP? You need to join a paid membership program or e-mail raffle for a chance at even being selected to make a purchase. Not even store displays are safe anymore.



Again, I agree with the notion that this nonsense shouldn't define a fandom. But it's a problem that this increasingly large fandom has to deal with now more than ever. It's gotten to a point that I don't even bother looking at these areas anymore because the days of being able to just walk in and purchase a product without jumping through some sort of hoop or getting extremely lucky are seemingly behind us.

Getting back on topic and tying this back to the Universal Parks, if Poke'mon is in Hollywood's future, I certainly hope they are prepared to deal with this in some way when it comes to in-park merchandise.

 

[Mr_Pendington]

Getting back on topic and tying this back to the Universal Parks, if Poke'mon is in Hollywood's future, I certainly hope they are prepared to deal with this in some way when it comes to in-park merchandise.

When Nintendo faced a similar issue when launching the Switch 2, they didn't limit sales per customer or made it exclusive to their website.

They just made enough for everyone! And while the Switch 2 definitely sold out during launch, but pretty soon after you could just find a couple casually in a Target. So much smoother than the PS5 and Xbox Series releases (which were hammered by the pandemic of course).

Pokemon cards already rely on scarcity to sell themselves so I doubt they'd change business models anytime soon but I think Universal just needs to make enough stock for everyone. Ofc things are far more complicated than just making more of thing but, food for thought

 

[Jerroddragon]

I mean, I doubt that Pokemon stuff being sold would affect most people here or at the parks

Sure would be annoying for cards to be sold out but.....as longas the land, ride and character meet and greets are great thats what most people are coming for

So hopefully USH would be able to handle the demand but also this whole conversation is why I think the simpsons land is too small

Like some here do not understand the hype of Pokemon but if you think One Piece hype is big....Pokemon is on another level. It needs space and also room to allow for more to be added on just in case it really is that insane
Also Pokemon is going no where, they have messed up countless times and the fan group keeps growing....every generation we get new Pokemon and even if only 10 of those become liked thats more then enough to keep the brand fresh.

So I hope we get a lower lot land, because the ride will be cool but I'm more excited to see the next evolution of the band game in park....I think if done right it could really become something people come in just to do. I know there are some groups that come in just to pretend to live in HP land but if they can do that with Pokemon....yeah lets just say the park won't just be a little busier

 

[MAC]

I mean, I doubt that Pokemon stuff being sold would affect most people here or at the parks

Sure would be annoying for cards to be sold out but.....as longas the land, ride and character meet and greets are great thats what most people are coming for

So hopefully USH would be able to handle the demand but also this whole conversation is why I think the simpsons land is too small

Like some here do not understand the hype of Pokemon but if you think One Piece hype is big....Pokemon is on another level. It needs space and also room to allow for more to be added on just in case it really is that insane
Also Pokemon is going no where, they have messed up countless times and the fan group keeps growing....every generation we get new Pokemon and even if only 10 of those become liked thats more then enough to keep the brand fresh.

So I hope we get a lower lot land, because the ride will be cool but I'm more excited to see the next evolution of the band game in park....I think if done right it could really become something people come in just to do. I know there are some groups that come in just to pretend to live in HP land but if they can do that with Pokemon....yeah lets just say the park won't just be a little busier

Man, it's crazy to think I grew up with Pokemon and now my kids are growing up with it as well. My 10 year old is obsessed with it. I shudder to think what the crowds will be like when the land opens. It's gonna rival HP crowds.

 

[theblueblurr]

When Nintendo faced a similar issue when launching the Switch 2, they didn't limit sales per customer or made it exclusive to their website.

They just made enough for everyone! And while the Switch 2 definitely sold out during launch, but pretty soon after you could just find a couple casually in a Target. So much smoother than the PS5 and Xbox Series releases (which were hammered by the pandemic of course).

Pokemon cards already rely on scarcity to sell themselves so I doubt they'd change business models anytime soon but I think Universal just needs to make enough stock for everyone. Ofc things are far more complicated than just making more of thing but, food for thought

In fairness to them, they are expanding their printing facilities and taking over certain areas of distribution to try and meet demand (the company we use to print our trading cards, Millennium Print Group's recently announced expansion).

I guess I just don't have a ton of faith in the way Universal handles merch drops. Like, for Fan Fest, they drop all that stuff so far in advance of the event that by the time Guests get there for the event in question, merch is long gone and takes a while to restock (Sailor Moon Jersey). The same went for some of the exclusive food. On our first Fan Fest night, they were sold out of the Sailor Moon cupcake before Early Entry Guests had even made it into the park. If they wanna drop some merch early or make it available to day Guests I think that's fine, but I do think there should be an allocation set aside for event Guests, too.

I don't think Guests will line up for Poke'mon cards in the park the same way they would outside of a Vons vending machine, mostly because their profit margin is likely to drop significantly by paying inflated theme park prices. Though other theme park exclusive merch wouldn't be so lucky. I hope you are right and they make enough (complications and all) or at the very least limit sales per park ticket, or something.