CNN correspondent Selina Wang visited the newly opened Super Nintendo World to showcase the theme park, as well as detailing some of its COVID policies. He even managed to take a walk on the AR Mario Kart track, “Koopa’s Challenge,” which surpasses what many visitors will receive – VGC noted that the queue was larger than the park itself.
“I’ve been talking to attendees,” Wang said in the news segment, “and a lot of them have been playing Nintendo games since they were kids. Some of them say it’s really exciting to get in there and really see the their children’s games. coming to life “.
Originally, the park was supposed to open in the summer of 2020, coinciding with the Tokyo Olympics, but obviously that didn’t happen. The fact that Japan is closed to international travel means the park does not attract large numbers of tourists and boosts the country’s economy, as originally planned.
Photo opportunities and other designated “mask-free zones” are tightly controlled to ensure visitors are kept at a distance from each other and from the park’s pets, in addition to not being allowed to touch them. Instead of Disney-style photos of kids embracing the disguised characters, you’re much more likely to get a picture of Mario and Luigi at a respectable distance, like awkward teenagers at a prom.
Wang points out that the park cost half a billion dollars and that the gaming industry in general has made a lot of money during the pandemic as one of the few activities you can still do at home.
“For Nintendo, this is an important step beyond its core video game and console business,” says Wang. “It’s getting its treasure trove of intellectual property and iconic characters.” As one Reddit commentator puts it in the video, “basically, Nintendo is printing money into an industry that is currently struggling,” referring to the theme park industry.