The numbers first: ¥ 40 billion, about US$ 351 million, was the estimated investment in Nintendo’s themed area inside Universal Studios Japan, in Osaka. The Nintendo and Universal partnership was announced in May 2015, construction began in June 2017 and the opening was planned for before the Tokyo Olympic Games, in the summer of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed everything back.
On November 30, 2020, Universal Studios Japan announced the new date: Super Nintendo World would open on February 4, 2021. In practice, this means it was not a separate park, but an area inside Universal’s park, focused mainly on the Mario universe, with the character’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, involved in the project. On the same day, the park showed the inside of the Mario Kart attraction, with Bowser’s castle, a life-size statue of the villain and the headsets used in the race.
Visitors can use the Power-Up Band wristbands, sold separately, together with the park’s app to collect coins and character stamps and to record their score on the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge attraction. The wristbands also work as amiibo in compatible Switch games. At the time, Universal also planned versions of the area in the United States.
What came next
The February date did not hold either. In January 2021, Japan declared a new state of emergency because of a third wave of COVID-19 and the opening was postponed again, with access granted only to annual pass holders. Super Nintendo World opened to the public on March 18, 2021. The Universal Studios Hollywood version opened on February 17, 2023, and the Universal Epic Universe one, in Florida, on May 22, 2025. In Osaka, the area also gained the Donkey Kong Country expansion, with the Mine-Cart Madness roller coaster. Translation: from “summer 2020” to “March 2021”, a much smaller delay than many a game out there.
Source: Universal Studios Japan, via GamingBolt.
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