Two big announcements from Universal Parks & Resorts: the company has announced a new partnership with Nintendo, plus a new King Kong attraction for its Orlando resort.
The new Nintendo partnership will see the development of dedicated experiences based on Nintendo's popular games, characters and worlds, Universal said in a written release.
The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games. More details will be announced in the future, as the Nintendo and Universal creative teams work to create specific concepts.
New King Kong Attraction
Universal has also announced the new “Skull Island: Reign of Kong” attraction, set to open next year at Universal Orlando.
The new attraction will open in the summer of 2016 at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
The attraction begins as guests are transported deep into a wild and mysterious world, where their mission is to discover creatures of unknown origin. Their journey will take them through an ancient temple inhabited by hostile natives, a perilous jungle ruled by prehistoric creatures, a foreboding underworld of caves – and face-to-face with the colossal Kong himself.
Universal Creative is working closely with Peter Jackson, director of 2005’s “King Kong,” on the adventure.
Since first appearing on screen in 1933, “King Kong” has been re-made twice – earning seven Oscar and three Golden Globe nominations.
This is not the first King Kong-themed attraction for Universal. "Kongfrontation," at Universal Studios Florida, took guests on an elevated tram that was attacked by King Kong. Based on the 1976 film, that ride closed in 2002.