Summary
Universal Orlando Resortmay eventually be looking at bringing the worlds ofPokemonandThe Legend of Zeldato life, according to recent rumors. With the resort already building a real-life version ofSuper Mario Bros., fans could see areas inspired byPokemonorZeldanext.
Last year, the Lost Continent area of Universal Islands of Adventure closed its final operating attraction, Poseidon’s Fury. Since then, the area has sat dormant with rumors flying about what could possibly replace it in the future. In addition, Universal’s contract withThe Simpsonsis expected to expire by 2030 now that Disney owns Fox with no confirmation about what the resort could put there instead. While those areas face an uncertain future, the Universal Orlando Resort has been working on opening Epic Universe, the third park to come to the resort, which is expected to open sometime in 2025. The new park will bring theworld ofSuper Mario Bros.to life with Super Nintendo World, which has many fans speculating that Universal could bring other popular video game franchises to the parks.
Theme park insider Alicia Stella, a reporter forOrlando Park Stop, recently touched on some of the rumors that have been going around speculating about what could be coming to Universal Orlando within the next decade. Stella was the first reporter to cover the rumors that Universal was looking to expand into the UK market last year, which was quickly confirmed by both Universal as well as various local news outlets, and she has been covering Universal updates for some time. Now, she’s giving some credibility to long-spread rumors thatTheLegend of Zeldafranchisecould possibly replace the Lost Continent area at Islands of Adventure andPokemoncould eventually replaceThe Simpsonsarea at Universal Studios.
Universal Orlando Could Bring More Video Game Franchises to Its Parks in the Future
While the rumors ofTheLegend of ZeldaorPokemonfranchises being brought to the US parks aren’t new, the speculation has continued to grow, especially with the confirmation thatUniversal Studios Japan is building aPokemonattraction. This could see a similar ride brought to the US at some point, although the contract withThe Simpsonsdoes not expire until 2028. In addition, there seems to be no progress on any demolition permits for the Lost Continent area, so any developments are unlikely to be made in the near future.
Over the last several years, both the Disney parks and the Universal parks have started to lean heavily into their intellectual properties, replacing original attractions and areas with popular franchises, likeHarry PotterandJurassic Park. With Epic Universe bringing to life areasinspired bySuper Mario Brothers,How To Train Your Dragon,the Universal Classic Monsters, andHarry Potter,it’s clear that Universal is heavily relying on its known properties. With this focus already underway, it’s likely thatZeldaandPokemoncould be some of the next properties that theUniversal Orlando Resortlooks to incorporate within the next decade.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.
