Universal's New Park/Site B Blue Sky Thread

[Magic-Man]

Both should get one of Nintendo’s big IPs. USF especially needs a home run. So much disappointment recently.

This Nintendo land needs at least six rides. We aren't getting Star Fox, F-Zero, or Metroid. Splatoon could work as a single ride. SNW shouldn't change very much. So, how do you make the other two? Zelda makes the most sense.

 

[Mad Dog]

I was gaga over the LOTR films when they came out but I can see Universal being fine without the franchise after a bit of reflection.

Yeah. How to Train Your Dragon & Zelda really has about the same look. And Dragons is their own IP so that don't have to pay the hefty rights fees & food/ merchandise percentage cuts that I'd guess LOTR/Warner wanted.

 

[Mike S]

This Nintendo land needs at least six rides. We aren't getting Star Fox, F-Zero, or Metroid. Splatoon could work as a single ride. SNW shouldn't change very much. So, how do you make the other two? Zelda makes the most sense.

The other two lands would be Zelda and Pokémon. Site B could get things like Luigi’s Mansion and if you want to dip further into the world of Mario how about an interactive Wario Ware ride? Plenty Mario spin offs to pick from.

My sci-fi area idea came from @quinnmac000’s post where he mentioned SF and FE.

 

[Sithina]

Both should get one of Nintendo’s big IPs. USF especially needs a home run. So much disappointment recently.

I agree. I think Pokemon would do really well in USF, actually, possibly the best of all Nintendo properties, since Nintendo is seemingly saving the big, themed showcase land for the new gate, and Pokemon has enough behind it to stand on its own outside of that themed world. Pokemon has a more modern aesthetic than other Nintendo IPs (save only Splatoon, whose maps are mostly in an urban-type area, right?) which would blend well in the Studios park. Trolls would also do really well, but that might make more sense in IoA, being more fantastical in theme. They have a lot of options with both Dreamworks and Nintendo. I don't think it necessarily has to be dedicated solely to one IP, but that seems to be the expectation in theme parks anymore, especially within the major theme parks.

Yes and no. They are turning into a week vacation with this new park. I would guess there is a decent cross over between Pokémon/Nintendo/ Potter fans so they might buy tickets to the new park l, but they are going to all. Just like people will go to Disney for the first time once Star Wars opens up. They will go to all the parks, not just DHs because they are there.

I wouldn't bet on Nintendo fans giving ALL the Universal parks the same level of love as they would give the new gate if Nintendo is only going to be represented in the new gate. It will be a very different case than the current WWoHP. USF and IoA are right next to each other and connected by the Hogwarts Express, making it possible to do the WW, and only the WW, for days at a time. If Nintendo is only going to be at the new resort, and fans are going specifically for Nintendo, even if they are fans of HP or the other main resort properties, with hotels, shopping, and an entire theme park within walking distance, but all those other properties up the road, they might just stick to the south resort and call it a trip. This would be especially true if they had a limited number of days to visit, or just a weekend--depending on how themed this new gate is going to be, they may not see a reason to travel up the road, no matter how many free shuttle/bus options there are, even with the IPs in USF and IoA, when they can stay and play and shop in Nintendo land all day long.

We know a large group of SW fans who will go to SWL but have no plans to go to any other Disney park, at least not in Orlando. If WDW had a fully themed Marvel land in one of their other parks, maybe. As they don't, and these fans are literally planning to only go for an extended weekend to experience SWL, no matter how crazy any Disney fan might think they are for not visiting any other WDW parks, they aren't going to buy any other park tickets. They are very interested in the SW hotel. They would pay those prices for a long weekend to stay and play in SWL without stepping foot off that particular property. I'm curious to see how SWL will change the way people "do" Disney. I know there are plenty of people who go to Universal just for Harry Potter and spend very little time riding/experiencing anything outside the WW in either park.

 

[quinnmac000]

I bet Universal has internal data that shows that even if they did spread out Nintendo, it would have a net zero effect on attendance. New Parks goal should be able to have the same attendance as the other parks currently. You think because Universal builds a brand new park, no one is going to visit IOA, USF because they don't have Nintendo, DreamWorks etc. I would argue Disney has shown that even with new parks, that older parks maintain their popularity in spite of the new parks having better IPs.

Volcano Bay is also an example that a well thought out concept beats out IP utilization/with name only mattering if you can't serve up a good product as well.

 

[Sithina]

I bet Universal has internal data that shows that even if they did spread out Nintendo, it would have a net zero effect on attendance. New Parks goal should be able to have the same attendance as the other parks currently. You think because Universal builds a brand new park, no one is going to visit IOA, USF because they don't have Nintendo, DreamWorks etc. I would argue Disney has shown that even with new parks, that older parks maintain their popularity in spite of the new parks having better IPs.

Volcano Bay is also an example that a well thought out concept beats out IP utilization/with name only mattering if you can't serve up a good product as well.

I'm not saying the majority of people aren't going to visit the original parks at the same time they visit the new park. Most will. Part of what I'm saying is that the entire UO resort, both north and south, are separated in a way that the Disney parks, located within the huge WDW city, aren't. A lot of it is perception. At no time going from AK to MK do people feel like they are no longer "at" Disney. UO will have to deal with a few miles of non-UO properties separating their resorts, which will make it feel like they are on opposite sides of the city. The distance is probably shorter between UONorth and South than it is between AK and MK (I don't know..I've not been to WDW since I was like 16), but you never have to leave WDW for that experience. With UON and UOS, you will, which may make it seem to visitors that it is more of a hassle than it actually is to travel between the two resorts. I'd just say it's a trickier situation. There will be confusion, no matter what Universal does or how it spreads out its IPs, because they aren't in full control of the areas around their two resorts. Will that affect overall attendance? No, not really. But even in articles put out by WDW, most of the creative teams are realizing that, for better or worse, IPs sell tickets in today's market. IPs bring in people who might not normally go to any of your parks.

I was also countering someone saying that people will go to all three just because they are there, which isn't a given. It's probably what will happen with the majority, which is all that matters when it comes to stockholders and numbers, but building this big new gate is not going to guarantee that all visitors are going to leave the new resort to visit the old resort. They may see it as more effort than it is worth--or than it actually is (see WDW vs UON/UOS example above). They might think they can get HP at the UOSouth resort, which they may not (no one knows if HP will be at the new gate)--this might encourage them to buy tickets to USF/IoA (which Universal is going to try to bundle anyway, obviously, but if people think they can save some money, especially if they assume they are going to get the full Universal experience just at UOSouth, they may not automatically go for the 4-park ticket; they would likely upgrade once they were there and saw they'd have to in order to see the WWoHP). My husband and I are big fans of all the IPs UO has. We would visit both resorts, probably staying at one hotel at North and another at South over the course of a week or more. But if we only had a weekend, say 2 or 3 days, we'd be less likely to split those up with the other gates. We'd stay at one or the other, and given our love of Nintendo, which far exceeds any of the other IPs, we'd likely spend those 3 days at UOSouth.

 

[Mike S]

I bet Universal has internal data that shows that even if they did spread out Nintendo, it would have a net zero effect on attendance. New Parks goal should be able to have the same attendance as the other parks currently. You think because Universal builds a brand new park, no one is going to visit IOA, USF because they don't have Nintendo, DreamWorks etc. I would argue Disney has shown that even with new parks, that older parks maintain their popularity in spite of the new parks having better IPs.

Volcano Bay is also an example that a well thought out concept beats out IP utilization/with name only mattering if you can't serve up a good product as well.

If this new park is as amazing as some are suggesting it could be then yes, I could see a bit of a Magic Kingdom situation going on if they don’t beef up the two current parks. Nintendo is just their latest huge get that could keep interest and make sure the parks are equalized in attendance.

 

[Moose84]

In regards to at least 6 plus rides please see my blue sky post in regards to Super Nintendo World-MARIO. I have 8 rides total: Mari Kart, Luigi’s Mansion, Odyssey of Mario, Bullet Bill Spinner, Donkey Kong’s Runaway Mine Coaste, Tropical Freeze Flumes, Yoshi’s Exploration Journey, Yoshi Runners. Plus a Yoshi splash pad and play land, Donkey Kong Trails, Peach’s Castle walkthrough, meet and greets, and street shows. Just saying how to make this work ride wise without Zelda or Pokémon. Plus their is plenty more that could be added. Just saying

 

[tielo]

I was gaga over the LOTR films when they came out but I can see Universal being fine without the franchise after a bit of reflection.

The ip is still very much alive and the world is full of food/pubs/inn's and items that can be replicated and sold. The overall look of the world is as pleasing as Potter so it'll delight fans and non fans (like Potter).
If it's close to the costs and return of Potter Universal should definitely pick this up. I still keep my fingers crossed.

 

[quinnmac000]

I want a Zelda Majora Mask theme attraction with this video as the pre-show....good lord. Us fighting Skull Kid to save the world from destruction and Universal selling all sorts of different masks would be epic.

 

[Mike S]

I want a Zelda Majora Mask theme attraction with this video as the pre-show....good lord. Us fighting Skull Kid to save the world from destruction and Universal selling all sorts of different masks would be epic.

I think the best we could hope for concerning MM is a Mask Shop.

 

[Scott W.]

I was gaga over the LOTR films when they came out but I can see Universal being fine without the franchise after a bit of reflection.

I think most people feel this way but the wildcard here is Amazon's series. If that is a huge hit then it would make perfect sense to consider it.

 

[JungleSkip]

I think most people feel this way but the wildcard here is Amazon's series. If that is a huge hit then it would make perfect sense to consider it.

I will put a lot of money on the possibility of that show being very, very bad

 

[Scott W.]

I will put a lot of money on the possibility of that show being very, very bad

I can see it going so many ways. At least Universal could have the luxury of seeing what happens first.

 

[Legacy]

I think most people feel this way but the wildcard here is Amazon's series. If that is a huge hit then it would make perfect sense to consider it.

"Huge hit" in respect to streaming is a matter of perspective though.

Netflix Ratings Revealed: ‘Daredevil,’ ‘House of Cards’ Audience Data – Variety

The first season of Daredevil on Netflix had an estimated 4.4 million watch at least one episode during its first 11 days available. That's not taking into account how many people finished it. That's actually a pretty low number, comparatively.

 

[Scott W.]

"Huge hit" in respect to streaming is a matter of perspective though.

Netflix Ratings Revealed: ‘Daredevil,’ ‘House of Cards’ Audience Data – Variety

The first season of Daredevil on Netflix had an estimated 4.4 million watch at least one episode during its first 11 days available. That's not taking into account how many people finished it. That's actually a pretty low number, comparatively.

Even if it’s a mediocre bit by streaming standards, the brand is still strong. People will always be huge fans of the films and books.

 

[Magic-Man]

Universal Orlando figured out a way to turn bumper cars into the ultimate game of Pac-Man | Blogs

Whaaaaa? This definitely isn't for SNW, but it's still very interesting.

 

[Magic-Man]

Did another blue-sky prediction for Super Nintendo World, without Pokemon or Zelda. Sorry if it's too small to read.

RIDES:

1. Mario Kart
2. Yoshi
3. Luigi's Mansion dark-ride
4. Donkey Kong Coaster
5. Donkey Kong water-ride
6. Splatoon shooting dark-ride
7. Super Mario Odyssey simulator dark-ride
8. Pac-Man advanced flat (from the article I posted a little bit ago)
9. Regular flat

 

[Imperius]

PAC-Man isn’t happening.

 

[Magic-Man]

PAC-Man isn’t happening.

Maybe. maybe not. But that patent sure is interesting, and this is a blue-sky thread, after all.