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Your favorite mushroom-eating, goomba-stomping Italian plumber will make his real-world debut at Universal Studios Japan in 2020. Earlier this month, Universal Studios and Nintendo finalized a deal to bring three "Super Nintendo World" attractions to Universal's parks in Osaka, Orlando and Hollywood. The two companies plan to spend $434M to develop rides and attractions. Legendary creator Shingero Miyamoto is working with Universal to create immersive experiences.
The park is set to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but that isn't the main drive behind the decision to target Japan as the park's first expansion. Theme parks are big business in Japan. Universal Studios is in tight competition with themed Disney parks, among many others. Stylized worlds have been profitable for theme parks. A study of foot traffic data from the Foursquare app showed a 38% increase in visits to Universal Hollywood when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened earlier this year. And the July 4 opening of a "Walking Dead" attraction at that same park initially increased traffic fivefold.
Nintendo and Universal haven't released detail on any rides or attractions, but we can tell you from experience—don't expect the princess to be in the castle.
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