The Future of Lost Continent

[tielo]

I know nothing about Animal Crossing except for seeing a trailer in a Nintendo direct that I may have watched back in the days, it's didn't do anything for me.
I tried to watch Waterworld but I turned it off with 30 minutes but I do want to see the stunt show at USH.
If something is done well I will enjoy it but I won't buy souvenirs or go out of my way for themed food as there is no connection.

 

[Mad Dog]

Would anyone that's not a Nintendo game user know that Animal crossing exists? Seems far fetched for a land.

 

[Jake S]

Would anyone that's not a Nintendo game user know that Animal crossing exists? Seems far fetched for a land.

Yeah, I think particularly among a younger demographic it's pretty in the zeitgeist as far as these things go.

Google Trends isn't a perfect metric, but you can see the noticeable uptick in interest/activity during the early days of the pandemic. It's leveled off since then but is similar to The Legend of Zelda.

 

[mccgavin]

Would anyone that's not a Nintendo game user know that Animal crossing exists? Seems far fetched for a land.

Generally, from what I've seen, much of Animal Crossing's fanbase is not what I would classify as a traditional video game or Nintendo fan. It definitely has a strong appeal to a more casual crowd that is looking for a cute and carefree experience.

This may be anecdotal, but I know a number of people who have previously purchased a 3DS or Switch just to play Animal Crossing, and they typically don't play much else on the system besides Disney Dreamlight Valley and Stardew Valley, which are similar games. There is even a noteworthy crowd that doesn't play the games, but still collects the merchandise due to it's cuteness factor, similar to Hello Kitty. It's even had a successful line of LEGO sets in recent years, and it's been the only other Nintendo franchise to do so besides Mario.

 

[Mad Dog]

Yeah, I think particularly among a younger demographic it's pretty in the zeitgeist as far as these things go.

Google Trends isn't a perfect metric, but you can see the noticeable uptick in interest/activity during the early days of the pandemic. It's leveled off since then but is similar to The Legend of Zelda.

View attachment 24987

Looking at that graph, I'd say nix both Zelda and AC....and use Wicked or LOTR in Lost Continent.

 

[mccgavin]

Looking at that graph, I'd say nix both Zelda and AC....and use Wicked or LOTR in Lost Continent.

I don't know about that... Using those same parameters, Animal Crossing's all-time high does end up surpassing Wicked by quite a bit.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but since LOTR is brought up constantly, does Universal have those theme park rights?

 

[Jake S]

Yeah, I was using it more to demonstrate that Animal Crossing had a tremendous peak in the not-too-distant-past and that Zelda experienced a bump when the recent game came out. You'd have to do a much more sophisticated (qualitative) analysis to really get a feel for which of these properties has the most staying power.

 

[Viator]

*sees the Poseidon's Fury bit gone, sad*

 

[Mad Dog]

I don't know about that... Using those same parameters, Animal Crossing's all-time high does end up surpassing Wicked by quite a bit.

View attachment 24988

That peak was short lived....prob. a new game....and it's pretty flat since........and..... that's already 4-5 years ago......Wicked is based on a long term very popular and well known, through all age groups, IP

 

[mccgavin]

That peak was short lived....prob. a new game....and it's pretty flat since........and..... that's already 4-5 years ago......

I mean, that's not a very fair comparison at all. Of course Wicked has a recency bias, but just like Animal Crossing, it's search results are dropping as time goes on from the release. Both will see a significant boost once they receive a new installment.

Wicked is based on a long term very popular and well known, through all age groups, IP

Animal Crossing certainly checks all of those boxes, and at least from what I tell, seems to be the larger and more popular IP of the two. Since it's debut in 2001, it's grown to be one of the most recognizable video in the world, and has been particular accessible to people of younger and older age groups who wouldn't typically be into gaming.

While Wicked certainly has its own cult following, by it's nature of being a 3 hour musical film, there are certainly a noteworthy percentage of the filmgoing audience that is not willing to sit through it, regardless of its quality.

 

[Clive]

We've drifted pretty far from Future of the Lost Continent talk, folks. I think it's worth acknowledging that Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's most valuable IPs while also conceding there's nothing to suggest it's coming to replace Poseidon or Sinbad.

 

[tielo]

We've drifted pretty far from Future of the Lost Continent talk, folks. I think it's worth acknowledging that Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's most valuable IPs while also conceding there's nothing to suggest it's coming to replace Poseidon or Sinbad.

I have no proof of your claim but if true there is a good reason why Mario and friends and Donkey Kong where the basis for the first theme park outing for Nintendo and not AC. Something can be very popular (for Nintendo gamers) but is not resonating for the general public or it isn't an ip that is valuable to translate into a theme park land. Remember Universal is building attractions for 3 groups of guests, people who never heard of the ip, people who know it and super fans. For all those groups should a ride or land be enjoyable and easy to understand.

 

[universal_fanatic]

Wasn't sure where exactly to post this, but wanted to share this old episode of Popular Mechanics for Kids that features some incredible behind the scenes looks at The Hulk, the OG Poseidon's Fury ft. the Keeper, Triceratops Encounter, and even a bit of the Island Skipper Tours. I grew up watching this show in the 90's/00's in Canada and always kept an eye out for this episode when it aired. Never dreamt I'd be able to watch it again all these years later since it's hard to find online!

 

[HHN Maddux]

I wish they could at least have Taylor and the professor meeting out front like they were while the attraction was under refurb. Heck, have them meet you at the base of the temple itself, you have an outdoor queue for it and a great backdrop.

Would be a nice way to bring some energy into that area and just a cool M&G that lets the attraction live on until TLC is inevitably razed.

 

[bagphrases]

I'm not anywhere near qualified to plan this, but I made a quick sketch of what the LC could be if it were rethemed to Wicked/Oz.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

I'm not anywhere near qualified to plan this, but I made a quick sketch of what the LC could be if it were rethemed to Wicked/Oz. View attachment 25168

Very interesting! I still think though that if Universal wanted to put in a Wicked/Oz land, they could expand Epic Universe. They should instead do something about the now-vacant Sinbad and Poseidon buildings. My idea is a new ride, taking over both buildings, themed to Greek mythology. Of course, since Universal is all about IPs, I thought of a ride based on DreamWorks' Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. It could even have that "flat Earth" joke from the movie. Sadly, I don’t think the movie is fondly remembered, plus it didn’t do so well at the box office, despite making back its budget, in 2003.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Probably end of the decade at this point for an LC replacement right? The calendar seems pretty booked between the rumored EU expansions and the USF projects.

 

[TheUniC6]

Probably end of the decade at this point for an LC replacement right? The calendar seems pretty booked between the rumored EU expansions and the USF projects.

I could also see the 2030-2031 timeframe as well. I'm just hoping after EU opens we will get rumors leaks for the post EU timeline.

 

[belloq87]

The calendar seems pretty booked between the rumored EU expansions and the USF projects.

I don't know that any USF project rumor beyond the HRRR replacement has any more traction/life than Lost Continent replacement rumors do at this point.

Rather than booked, I'd say the next five years sound more barren than not (at the existing parks).