Even Mario’s creator wasn’t sure a Nintendo theme park could work
Super Nintendo World, which opens Friday at Universal Studios Hollywood, is a wholly unique and unforgettable new addition to the theme park. It brings Nintendo’s colorful worlds to life, allowing visitors to move through the space — speckled with Thwomps, stacks of Goombas, spinning Koopa shells, and other iconic characters — as if they were Mario and his friends. Walking through the land, tapping coin blocks, and trying out the attractions felt like revisiting childhood memories.
It is also an unprecedented addition to Universal Studios — and to the makeup of amusement parks more broadly, which have historically focused on translating films to attractions and physical spaces. Nintendo, of course, is no stranger to innovation, having created some of the most beloved, unique, and enduring video games and characters of all time. The park is a testament to this legacy, and a new space for fans to play in.
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Veteran game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, now a representative director and fellow at Nintendo, was heavily involved with the creation of the park. Miyamoto’s creative vision has long been at the heart of Nintendo, as the creator of Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and more. His unique approach to game design served to redefine what was possible in the industry. It would not be an overreach to say that Miyamoto pioneered the contemporary concept of game design, by making art and player experience priorities.
After four decades developing video games, Miyamoto appeared to be scaling back his involvement with contemporary Nintendo games. But this was only the case because Miyamoto was in fact focusing so much of his energy on Super Nintendo World, according to Shinya Takahashi. Director and senior managing
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