I’m so excited and can’t stop smiling. The hype is real. Nintendo and Universal are going to make a real Nintendo Land ! Well, not a Nintendo Land , persay, but perhaps a Nintendo landmass within the space of existing Universal parks. Still, the concept is exciting, and is going to be great. This is probably one of the few occasions where its immediately okay to get incredibly excited about something and know the hype is justified.
And do you know why this Nintendo and Universal thing is going to work? Because Universal has already proven it can do themed attractions well. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is proof enough. Have you ever seen it? I have. It was an extraordinary undertaking, and the level of detail put into the effort resulted in a place that genuinely feels like Hogwarts and Diagon Alley.
Which means when Universal works with Nintendo on its themed attractions and areas, there’s a better chance of getting things right. The company shows it is willing to put in the care and detail necessary to capture everything people want in an experience. When it comes time to recreate the Mushroom Kingdom or Hyrule, Universal isn’t going to hold back.
And, to be honest, Nintendo won’t either. I know that the Official Nintendo Seal of Quality doesn’t mean as much as it once did. There’s too much shovelware out there with it on it. But there are only lapses when it comes to third parties. These Nintendo attractions at Universal parks are things that the company will have firsthand input on. The press release already said that both Nintendo and Universal creative teams will be involved in the decision making process. This is one case where if that seal is applied, and I hope it is, it will mean something.
This may sound silly, but we even already have a base indication that this could work. It may be crazy to cite a game, but I think Nintendo Land is a good way to prove that Nintendo and Universal’s collaboration could result in great things. The minigame collection could be a hint that Nintendo was already thinking about such things. The “attractions” within could all work or be adapted into real world rides or locals. I would buy a ticket right now if I knew there would be an Animal Crossing village or a Luigi’s Mansion ghost hunt.
Normally, I like to encourage people to practice moderation, but let’s abandon that here. The Nintendo and Universal deal is huge. Let’s go ahead and oversetimate things. This is an instance where I strongly doubt we’ll be let down. Both companies know how much is riding on this, and that means they’ll deliver.
Maybe we’ll even get to see Monita again.