CNN correspondent Selina Wang visited the newly opened Super Nintendo World to showcase the theme park, in addition to detailing some of its COVID policies. She even got a ride on the AR Mario Kart track, “Koopa’s Challenge”, which is more than many visitors will get – VGC noted that the line was longer than the park itself.
“I’ve been talking to the participants,” said Wang in the news segment, “and many of them have been playing Nintendo games since they were kids. Some say it’s really exciting to go in there and see their real childhood games come back to life.”
Originally, the park was supposed to open in the summer of 2020, to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, but obviously, it didn’t. The fact that Japan is closed to international travel means that the park is not attracting a large number of tourists and boosting the country’s economy, as originally planned.
Photo opportunities, and others called “unmasked zones”, are closely monitored to ensure that visitors keep their distance from each other and the park’s pets, as well as not being allowed to touch. Instead of Disney-style photos of kids hugging the costumed characters, you’re much more likely to see a photo of Mario and Luigi standing at a respectable distance, like clumsy teenagers at a prom.
Wang notes that the park cost half a billion dollars and that the gaming industry as a whole has been making 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,” said Wang. “It is profiting from its treasure trove of intellectual property and iconic characters.” As a Reddit commentator in the video says, “basically, Nintendo is printing money in an industry that is struggling,” referring to the theme park industry.