As in California, so must be in Florida. We knew Super Mario was coming to Florida, and now we know when, but we also got a lot more details on the park overall. Super Nintendo World will be a part of Universal Orlando Resort’s brand-new theme park, dubbed Universal Epic Universe.
Five different worlds will make up the park. There’s Super Mario World, a new Harry Potter world, a How to Train Your Dragon world, and a Dark Universe world that just might explain where all that Dark Universe movie footage ended up. All four worlds are tied together by the fifth world, called Celestial Park, which, according to Universal’s blog, acts like a Main Street, USA-style hub world.
With Hogwarts Legacy selling 25 million copies, becoming the bestselling game in the US last year, and with the Harry Potter television reboot going full steam ahead, Universal’s creating a new Harry Potter experience to go with Universal Epic Universe because, duh. According to Universal, the Ministry of Magic seems to be a park that blends the world of the Fantastic Beasts movies with the Ministry of Magic from the original series. Because nothing screams magic! than hanging out at what is essentially the magical DMV.
Universal was light on specifics regarding the four themed worlds, but it did share details about Celestial Park, which will be the rare Universal world not designed around a preexisting entertainment property and include three new rides and the new 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel. Universal Epic Universe is expected to open in Orlando, Florida, in 2025. If you can’t wait that long for your Mario fix, you’ll need to grab a green tube to LA or Japan.
