Life & Leisure

COVID-19 delays Nintendo’s first theme park opening

Tokyo, Jan 14 (efe-epa).- Universal Studios Japan announced Thursday a delay in the opening of its new Nintendo video games theme park, the first in the world, due to the latest COVID- 19 state of emergency declared in the country.

The opening of Super Nintendo World “will be postponed until the state of emergency is lifted,” the park operator announced in a statement, without specifying a new opening date.

Osaka prefecture, where the park is located, is included as Thursday in a new emergency declaration due to the rise in COVID-19 cases. It will affect 11 of Japan’s 47 provinces, home to more than half of the population until Feb. 7.

The park, mainly dedicated to the Super Mario Bros. franchise, was scheduled to open Feb. 4.

“The opening date will be decided and announced after the state of emergency is lifted,” Universal Studios Japan said.

Details of Super Nintendo World were officially revealed Dec. 19 through a Nintendo Direct broadcast (a format the company uses to announce its news) by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.

The park is a real-scale recreation of different interactive scenarios from the platform games starring Mario that will even feature a kart-inspired attraction to emulate the franchise’s popular driving game.

The original opening last year was to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the “Super Mario Bros” game, which went on sale in Japan on Sep. 13, 1985, but was delayed until February 2021 over the pandemic, which has once again impacted the premiere.

Universal Studios Japan will be the first theme park in the world to host attractions related to the company, although similar areas are expected to open in the future at its facilities in California and Orlando (United States), and Singapore. EFE-EPA

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