It may have been The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which ushered in a new era for Universal theme parks around the world in the 2010s, but it is clear that Nintendo will be the property to usher the theme park giant truly into the future. Already Super Nintendo World is setting records at Universal Studios Hollywood, expanding at Universal Studios Japan, and will help anchor Epic Universe when it opens next year.
However, beyond this initial rollout of Super Nintendo Worlds around the globe, Universal’s plans for its partnership with Nintendo reach far beyond Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, and Donkey Kong. Already, rumors are swirling about a Pokemon-themed ride replacing Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Studios Japan, as well as a Pokemon-themed land taking over The Simpsons area at Universal Studios Florida.
And hot on the heels of these developments, it looks like rumors about yet another massively popular Nintendo property eventually making its way to Universal Orlando Resort have popped up. However, this time, it looks like the rumors may have been kicked into overdrive by none other than Universal itself.
A deleted social media post may confirm a Zelda-themed land is on the way
Earlier this week the official Universal Studios Team Member Instagram account posted a behind-the-scenes video that featured employees on the job at various locations around Universal Orlando Resort, including at the Epic Universe construction site. Though most of the video wasn’t very newsworthy, eagle-eyed Nintendo fans noticed that some of the b-roll shows Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma overseeing some kind of construction project, alongside Shigeru Miyamoto. In addition, some viewers spotted what they thought was the iconic Legend of Zelda Triforce on what could be construction blueprints.
The video was quickly deleted after fans seized on these details, which of course only fueled further speculation that The Legend of Zelda will actually be coming to Universal Orlando Resort sometime soon. However, since the current plans for Epic Universe reportedly don’t include this specific Nintendo property, where could Universal be planning to add it?
The Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure is the most likely candidate to eventually become Hyrule
The Lost Continent has been steadily shrinking over the years, with the 8th Voyage of Sinbad closing in 2018 and Poseidon’s Fury shuttering forever in 2023, leaving this area of Islands of Adventure with exactly zero attractions. While it is sad to see this land stripped down to nothing more than a few restaurants, this does make it the perfect place for Universal to start building the land of Hyrule at some point.
As far as timing is concerned, if construction plans are indeed coming together right now, as potentially evidenced by Universal’s now-deleted video, we could see this project announced in the next 2-3 years, perhaps after the opening of Epic Universe in 2025.
Of course, nothing has been confirmed about future Nintendo properties on their way to Universal, and this could all just be a massive coincidence. However, we can’t help but feel like patient Zelda fans will have something to look forward to before the end of the decade.
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