Universal Orlando Resumes Construction on Epic Universe

American theme park fans no longer have to worry about when they can go to Super Nintendo World. Universal Orlando just announced that Epic Universe, its new theme park and likely home of Nintendo's attractions, has resumed construction after halting last summer.

Universal Orlando Resort is currently home to three theme parks, being Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay. Epic Universe was announced as a grand expansion to the resort in November 2019, but all progress was halted indefinitely in July of last year. The pandemic has been rough on the theme park industry, so it is refreshing to see that this delay was not permanent.

According to Universal's press release, Epic Universe's construction and eventual operation will provide the Central Florida area with over 14,000 jobs. The area is being built on a 750-acre plot several miles away from the existing theme park complex, adding not only a theme park but also hotels, shops, and dining experiences. Not much has been announced regarding this park's opening date, lands, or attractions, but several themed areas can already be deduced from the official concept art, including an area that looks just like Japan's version of Super Nintendo World.

Keep in mind, Super Nintendo World hasn't been formally announced for Epic Universe just yet, so plans for the park can always change behind the scenes. However, the small area on the left side of the concept art has such a striking resemblance to the Japanese version of the land, that it's at the very least a major possibility. When construction on Epic Universe was postponed, Universal fans and Nintendo fans alike worried that they would never be able to explore the Mushroom Kingdom in Florida. Fortunately, it seems like the world of Nintendo will end up coming to the U.S. in one way or another.

Universal's parks are home to critically acclaimed attractions such as the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Skull Island: Reign of Kong. Nintendo's attractions will surely match up to this quality, but it will still be quite a few years until fans can check them out.

Since the opening date of the park is still a long time away, some fans hope that Universal will open some sort of temporary Nintendo experience in the meantime. Something as simple as a Nintendo shop, meet and greet, or restaurant would be enough to keep fans satisfied during that long, long wait for a real-life version of the Mushroom Kingdom. No matter what the theme park does, the continuation of Epic Universe is still exciting news nonetheless.

Nintendo has found a really broad range of ways to celebrate the Super Mario franchise's 35th anniversary. An event like this can always use a retrospective, so fans were delighted by the announcement of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a bundle porting some of Mario's greatest 3D adventures to the Nintendo Switch. There were some more unorthodox celebrations, too. Nintendo came up with an odd twist on battle royales with Super Mario Bros. 35, released toys enabling fans to play Mario Kart in real life, and more. However, one newer Mario subfranchises didn't get much attention. Super Mario Maker 2 didn't get a whole lot to celebrate the franchise's birthday.