The Future of Lost Continent

[JungleSkip]

Knowing Universal's mindset on announcing stuff... it'll either be really early or they'll put up the marquee before they announce it 2 weeks before opening. Looking at the timeline, doubt they announce anything in 2025 non-Epic related with the EU hype train starting next year. Do they announce it before EU? Or do they "package" an announcement with coming soon to UOR... a new theme park, new lands at the current parks, etc.? Or just wait post-EU? Would assume the best idea is to announce it after a year of EU to say "oh yeah, you can come back in 1 year for even more Nintendo...?"

If it's coming in 2027, I'd expect an announcement late 2025

 

[fryoj]

I don’t even mean something super obvious that would take away from epic, just something like when cedar point started putting up a few really vague posters around frontiertown before they announced steel vengeance. More of a little nod of things to come for those paying attention

Cedar Fair does their teasers the season before a new ride opens. So, using that as an example, it would be 2026 for a 27 opening for teasers. Which, we probably have more info before that point.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

If it's coming in 2027, I'd expect an announcement late 2025

This. People will love Super Nintendo World and want more and Universal will tell them that’s exactly what’s happening.

 

[Mike S]

With LC redo being Nintendo, I expect we’ll see an announcement sooner rather than later.*

Remember, the only thing actually announced for EU is Nintendo

*As in not “soon” but “sooner than Universal’s normal MO”

Yeah I’m just having good fun with a callback to Kong when we had his head literally over the walls but still no announcement lol

 

[tielo]

I think Zelda is a tough one as Nintendo is very protective (and I think that is a good thing).
Universal needs to design something that Nintendo likes.
Every thing needs to have gameplay in it so that needs to be developed and approved.
Transition is a thing, not to much coming from Seuss but coming and going from Potter.
The lot is decent but depending what Nintendo wants maybe the backstage area needs to relocated or changed.
If Nintendo wants a 360 experience as with SNW and Donkey Kong they need to hide the lagoon.

 

[Legacy]

I think Zelda is a tough one as Nintendo is very protective (and I think that is a good thing).
Universal needs to design something that Nintendo likes.
Every thing needs to have gameplay in it so that needs to be developed and approved.
Transition is a thing, not to much coming from Seuss but coming and going from Potter.
The lot is decent but depending what Nintendo wants maybe the backstage area needs to relocated or changed.
If Nintendo wants a 360 experience as with SNW and Donkey Kong they need to hide the lagoon.

There’s actually minimal backstage concerns with Lost Continent. The one bit of infrastructure they have is a green room for both Sinbad and Poseidon’s Fury. Everything else is actually built into Seuss.

 

[biggerboat16]

I think Zelda is a tough one as Nintendo is very protective (and I think that is a good thing).
Universal needs to design something that Nintendo likes.
Every thing needs to have gameplay in it so that needs to be developed and approved.
Transition is a thing, not to much coming from Seuss but coming and going from Potter.
The lot is decent but depending what Nintendo wants maybe the backstage area needs to relocated or changed.
If Nintendo wants a 360 experience as with SNW and Donkey Kong they need to hide the lagoon.

Yeah, I think Nintendo’s involvement might help us because it’s built-in quality control. Given the nature of the series, the interactivity might be most present in the land itself rather than the attraction. Maybe you can convert cash to rupees and talk to shopkeepers and go on ‘side quests’ throughout the land in exchange for rewards. If the attraction is indeed a boat ride, I actually hope that it isn’t interactive because my favorite E-tickets are the ones where you just sit back and absorb your surroundings

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Zelda is such a build your own adventure game to a degree, I’d be shocked if the land doesn’t take that approach, with the rides itself being a bit more story based. I’d bet it’s the “finale” the lands story.

 

[Mike S]

I will say that I firmly DO NOT WANT a major Zelda E Ticket to be any sort of game. Let us just follow Link Forbidden Journey style. The land itself? Go absolutely hog wild. I’ve always said my ideal attractions would be the major E Ticket coupled with an indoor Lost Woods maze ending with the Master Sword. Give us mini game shops in Castle Town as well. That’s where we can shoot arrows, use bombs, etc. Let us just absorb an adventure on the main ride please.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

DK isn't interactive besides the queue, no?

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

DK isn't interactive besides the queue, no?

To my knowledge, correct. The ride is the ride.

 

[tielo]

I would love Zelda to be a trackless dark ride where you as part of a fellowship of adventurers decide as a group how the story will enfold. The options are always 2 options. The options could change the direction of the vehicle or change a background projection or projection mapped on a village street or something. A magical tablet at each seat could interact with the environment like in a fight or a puzzle (like in Symbolica, Efteling).

 

[grlhowl]

Cedar Fair does their teasers the season before a new ride opens. So, using that as an example, it would be 2026 for a 27 opening for teasers. Which, we probably have more info before that point.

Not to be that person, but most regional and seasonal chains (like CF) announce all info for projects for the next season around the same time, all intended for a Memorial Day-ish opening the following season. Year-round theme parks like Disney or Universal are announcing parts of projects at a variety of times, intended to open years later. I can see a closure late next year, demolition over the following months, and an official announcement Fall/Winter of 2025 for a 2027 opening.

 

[Mad Dog]

Not to be that person, but most regional and seasonal chains (like CF) announce all info for projects for the next season around the same time, all intended for a Memorial Day-ish opening the following season. Year-round theme parks like Disney or Universal are announcing parts of projects at a variety of times, intended to open years later. I can see a closure late next year, demolition over the following months, and an official announcement Fall/Winter of 2025 for a 2027 opening.

I can't recall many Universal Florida attraction openings outside of Spring/Early Summer. They've been pretty consistent on that. Fallon 'soft opened' a tad earlier than that time frame, but not by much. Hollywood Universal has been a different story, but their customer makeup is quite different from Florida's.

 

[biggerboat16]

I can't recall many Universal Florida attraction openings outside of Spring/Early Summer. They've been pretty consistent on that. Fallon 'soft opened' a tad earlier than that time frame, but not by much. Hollywood Universal has been a different story, but their customer makeup is quite different from Florida's.

I think Hollywood attracts mainly locals almost like Disneyland. They can probably open new attractions whenever and be just fine. Orlando attracts a tourist demographic so they likely need to time openings with school breaks or vacation seasons

 

[Rhian]

PF would be considered a show at the end of the day right? Are we sure we're not just looking at Universal's newest empty theater? (When's the tribute store for those coming?)

If it's coming in 2027, I'd expect an announcement late 2025

Aren't there some rumors for around that year at EU? Zelda + EU expansion. Maybe USF would get something at the same time as those.

Or Uni might go crazy and add something to Volcano Bay? lol

I will say that I firmly DO NOT WANT a major Zelda E Ticket to be any sort of game. Let us just follow Link Forbidden Journey style. The land itself? Go absolutely hog wild. I’ve always said my ideal attractions would be the major E Ticket coupled with an indoor Lost Woods maze ending with the Master Sword. Give us mini game shops in Castle Town as well. That’s where we can shoot arrows, use bombs, etc. Let us just absorb an adventure on the main ride please.

I am not a major Zelda fan. I like the stories and played a couple of games and that's it. I would still do these things. For a ride though I hope it's something like Indiana Jones or Dinosaur. Those rides have an adventuring quality and feel I think fits Zelda well. I'd even take something like the new JW ride with giant animatronics towering over the vehicle or at least one big guardian at the end (if they're using BOTW).

There's only going to be one ride right? Space is in issue if they kept it all within PF's footprint but if they flattened LC out they could take the HTTYD/Suess approach and have the ride path intertwine with the land. A bigger version of the Kong-style outdoor portion.

I think I disappointed myself as soon as I finished writing that. That's definitely not happening.

 

[Mike S]

Aren't there some rumors for around that year at EU? Zelda + EU expansion. Maybe USF would get something at the same time as those.

Or Uni might go crazy and add something to Volcano Bay? lol


I am not a major Zelda fan. I like the stories and played a couple of games and that's it. I would still do these things. For a ride though I hope it's something like Indiana Jones or Dinosaur. Those rides have an adventuring quality and feel I think fits Zelda well. I'd even take something like the new JW ride with giant animatronics towering over the vehicle or at least one big guardian at the end (if they're using BOTW).

There's only going to be one ride right? Space is in issue if they kept it all within PF's footprint but if they flattened LC out they could take the HTTYD/Suess approach and have the ride path intertwine with the land. A bigger version of the Kong-style outdoor portion.

I think I disappointed myself as soon as I finished writing that. That's definitely not happening.

No one knows anything at this point it’s all speculation.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

LC is a massive plot of land to work with. There's also a warehouse (maintenance?) behind PF that could be relocated if they really wanted to for additional ride-building space.

 

[IzzyB]

So is the theater staying and it isn't a complete land re-do? What will they do with that theater?

 

[JungleSkip]

So is the theater staying and it isn't a complete land re-do? What will they do with that theater?

We have no idea what the land will be at this point