Nintendo Coming to Universal Parks

[zg44]

They had ZERO clue it would be this popular. Just as they had ZERO clue a Harry Potter land would create lines out the front gate. To assume anyone KNOWS how much traction something will garner is what's INSANE here.

You need proof? Look at the original plans for this land. It had everything: Mario, Luigi, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Pokemon. Oops, now HALF of that lineup is missing! Clearly when this idea was being fleshed out they had never once thought about putting Nintendo into multiple parks. Which is pretty much the definition of them NOT KNOWING HOW POPULAR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD BE.

Honestly...

I don't think that's correct though.

They do have the hindsight of Harry Potter this time around. That's what's different for Nintendo and theoretically LOTR down the line.

The notion that they were going to put everything into a single park in Orlando was just speculation based off the initial plans for USJ, but that never made sense based on the hindsight of the power of a multi-park IP like Harry Potter.

And we do know the power of various IPs, it's pretty clear to everyone that there's a handful of "attendance increasing" or "IPs that can shift the needle" to various degrees in the post-Harry Potter world. Star Wars fits that category; Nintendo and LOTR do as well. Star Trek to a lesser extent also fits that. Whether an IP can shift the needle depends on a lot of factors, but I don't think Nintendo's ability to increase attendance was ever in doubt.

I'd be skeptical of any reporting that said it was going to all be in one park; after Harry Potter, that would be complete malpractice.

 

[fryoj]

I don't subscribe to the "they had no clue" train of thought, but there is a valid point about them shoehorning everything into one land for the pitch. If someone came to you to use your property, would you be more impressed with "hey we are going to take all of your good work and put it all in one land" or "Hey we are going to take your good work, and give each of them their own land and represent them in all of our parks"? I just think for the pitch, its kinda shortsighted.

 

[JungleSkip]

I don't subscribe to the "they had no clue" train of thought, but there is a valid point about them shoehorning everything into one land for the pitch. If someone came to you to use your property, would you be more impressed with "hey we are going to take all of your good work and put it all in one land" or "Hey we are going to take your good work, and give each of them their own land and represent them in all of our parks"? I just think for the pitch, its kinda shortsighted.

It’s literally just there as an example. “Hey, here’s one idea we have. These are potential attractions we can make from your properties.”

 

[fryoj]

It’s literally just there as an example. “Hey, here’s one idea we have. These are potential attractions we can make from your properties.”

That's even worse. "Hey heres just an example of what we can do. If you really want to know what we have planned you'll have to sign an exclusive contract."

 

[JungleSkip]

That's even worse. "Hey heres just an example of what we can do. If you really want to know what we have planned you'll have to sign an exclusive contract."

I dunno what to tell you. Nintendo signed up, so clearly it did its job

 

[tankart150]

UC put all it's egg's in a basket in the original pitch, to show Nintendo with confidence that they could be able to not only put a huge amount of effort in Nintendo, but that they want to diversify.

Mario Kart and Donkey Kong have been seeming to be locked in for the first batch of Nintendo at UOR for a long while, and there are patents to prove it. But that IP's like Zelda/Pokemon have more potential in spin-off lands that can offer variety for the resort in general.

Nintendo, is Universal's next Harry Potter, hell; on a bigger scale, when you consider the huge success of Nintendo this year in general. And that Universal is taking the right call, and not having everything in one land or one park.

And to be honest, if you place an entire theme park on Nintendo, it will alienate the audience's Universal want's to achieve.

Entire park on video games, not just Nintendo

 

[JungleSkip]

Entire park on video games, not just Nintendo

Would never happen. Not enough viable properties

 

[KevyB]

“The original plans” were never the original plans. They were a pitch. That’s your first misunderstanding

I know what a pitch is. The most hilarious - and, frankly, incompetent - feature of this "just the pitch, never the plan" argument is that it means Universal had planned FROM THE BEGINNING to spread Nintendo out over all their parks, yet didn't bother to pitch that to Nintendo. WHAT?!?!? You don't understand pitching if you think that's what happened. If Universal KNEW they had Harry Potter II on their hands (which they didn't) and KNEW that it was going to be in multiple parks (which they didn't), the chance that they wouldn't have pitched that idea directly to Nintendo is approximately 0.00000000000000 PERCENT, give or take a few hundred zeroes. You don't pitch 33% of a plan!!

Furthermore, in the protective world of Nintendo, a pitch requires more than concept art and half-baked ideas. They take years creating their Mario and Zelda and Pokemon games, so they weren't going to respond to anything less effort-wise from Universal Creative. UC flew Nintendo executives to Florida, showed them Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and told them "Oh, look what we CAN do!" Then they toured the exact plot of land their plans were drawn for and told them, "This is what we WILL do!" Nintendo wasn't going to climb aboard with nothing more than blue sky rainbow unicorn dreams. They needed details and they needed promises, the same as JK Rowling wasn't going to sign on unless she had something presented to her that was closer to "final draft" than "opening pitch".

And that works both ways. UC isn't going to present Nintendo with fairy dust magic fantasy art and then give Nintendo final approval. Because then UC runs the risk of not being able to turn the fairy dust magic fantasy art into reality, forcing Nintendo to say, "No. Give us the rainbow unicorn dreams you promised us." Unless Universal wants headaches, delays and threats to end the partnership in their future, their original "pitch" was going to have to be pretty close to their final "pitch".

That's how things work in the business world. Even in the business world that builds rainbow unicorn magic fantasy dreams.

 

[KevyB]

GIFs... for the person who has nothing interesting to add to the conversation. One rung above just saying "No". A thousand rungs below actual sentences.

 

[captainmoch]

I know what a pitch is. The most hilarious - and, frankly, incompetent - feature of this "just the pitch, never the plan" argument is that it means Universal had planned FROM THE BEGINNING to spread Nintendo out over all their parks, yet didn't bother to pitch that to Nintendo. WHAT?!?!? You don't understand pitching if you think that's what happened. If Universal KNEW they had Harry Potter II on their hands (which they didn't) and KNEW that it was going to be in multiple parks (which they didn't), the chance that they wouldn't have pitched that idea directly to Nintendo is approximately 0.00000000000000 PERCENT, give or take a few hundred zeroes. You don't pitch 33% of a plan!!

Furthermore, in the protective world of Nintendo, a pitch requires more than concept art and half-baked ideas. They take years creating their Mario and Zelda and Pokemon games, so they weren't going to respond to anything less effort-wise from Universal Creative. UC flew Nintendo executives to Florida, showed them Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and told them "Oh, look what we CAN do!" Then they toured the exact plot of land their plans were drawn for and told them, "This is what we WILL do!" Nintendo wasn't going to climb aboard with nothing more than blue sky rainbow unicorn dreams. They needed details and they needed promises, the same as JK Rowling wasn't going to sign on unless she had something presented to her that was closer to "final draft" than "opening pitch".

And that works both ways. UC isn't going to present Nintendo with fairy dust magic fantasy art and then give Nintendo final approval. Because then UC runs the risk of not being able to turn the fairy dust magic fantasy art into reality, forcing Nintendo to say, "No. Give us the rainbow unicorn dreams you promised us." Unless Universal wants headaches, delays and threats to end the partnership in their future, their original "pitch" was going to have to be pretty close to their final "pitch".

That's how things work in the business world. Even in the business world that builds rainbow unicorn magic fantasy dreams.

What are you even trying argue? Either way, Uni pitched something to Nintendo, it worked, and now we're getting Mario at USF in the near future with more at IOA and Gate 3 in the future. Does it really matter how it was pitched or how the plans have changed throughout time?

 

[JungleSkip]

What are you even trying argue? Either way, Uni pitched something to Nintendo, it worked, and now we're getting Mario at USF in the near future with more at IOA and Gate 3 in the future. Does it really matter how it was pitched or how the plans have changed throughout time?

Because someone is wrong on the internet!

(Even though they’re not)

 

[Imperius]

People are getting to caught up in this pitch art. Who knows what was actually discussed with Nintendo when they actually spoke. They could have presented the idea of multiple parks, but no one here knows. A lot of absolutes about what they did or didn’t do lately.

 

[JoeCamel]

I know what a pitch is. The most hilarious - and, frankly, incompetent - feature of this "just the pitch, never the plan" argument is that it means Universal had planned FROM THE BEGINNING to spread Nintendo out over all their parks, yet didn't bother to pitch that to Nintendo. WHAT?!?!? You don't understand pitching if you think that's what happened. If Universal KNEW they had Harry Potter II on their hands (which they didn't) and KNEW that it was going to be in multiple parks (which they didn't), the chance that they wouldn't have pitched that idea directly to Nintendo is approximately 0.00000000000000 PERCENT, give or take a few hundred zeroes. You don't pitch 33% of a plan!!

Furthermore, in the protective world of Nintendo, a pitch requires more than concept art and half-baked ideas. They take years creating their Mario and Zelda and Pokemon games, so they weren't going to respond to anything less effort-wise from Universal Creative. UC flew Nintendo executives to Florida, showed them Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and told them "Oh, look what we CAN do!" Then they toured the exact plot of land their plans were drawn for and told them, "This is what we WILL do!" Nintendo wasn't going to climb aboard with nothing more than blue sky rainbow unicorn dreams. They needed details and they needed promises, the same as JK Rowling wasn't going to sign on unless she had something presented to her that was closer to "final draft" than "opening pitch".

And that works both ways. UC isn't going to present Nintendo with fairy dust magic fantasy art and then give Nintendo final approval. Because then UC runs the risk of not being able to turn the fairy dust magic fantasy art into reality, forcing Nintendo to say, "No. Give us the rainbow unicorn dreams you promised us." Unless Universal wants headaches, delays and threats to end the partnership in their future, their original "pitch" was going to have to be pretty close to their final "pitch".

That's how things work in the business world. Even in the business world that builds rainbow unicorn magic fantasy dreams.

Rather than coming in saying "NO,NO,NO you are wrong and have no idea what you are talking about" you might lead with the thought that when they commit to spend that much money and carve out space they just might have an idea they have an understanding of the risks and rewards.
These are seasoned professionals that don't make stuff up. They weigh the risks and rewards then proceed with a well thought out plan, their very existence in theme parks depend on it. This has been in development for several years and all the angles have been calculated. I am not sure what you are pushing here but I am sure you won't get traction pursuing this line anytime soon.

 

[zg44]

I know what a pitch is. The most hilarious - and, frankly, incompetent - feature of this "just the pitch, never the plan" argument is that it means Universal had planned FROM THE BEGINNING to spread Nintendo out over all their parks, yet didn't bother to pitch that to Nintendo. WHAT?!?!? You don't understand pitching if you think that's what happened. If Universal KNEW they had Harry Potter II on their hands (which they didn't) and KNEW that it was going to be in multiple parks (which they didn't), the chance that they wouldn't have pitched that idea directly to Nintendo is approximately 0.00000000000000 PERCENT, give or take a few hundred zeroes. You don't pitch 33% of a plan!!

Furthermore, in the protective world of Nintendo, a pitch requires more than concept art and half-baked ideas. They take years creating their Mario and Zelda and Pokemon games, so they weren't going to respond to anything less effort-wise from Universal Creative. UC flew Nintendo executives to Florida, showed them Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and told them "Oh, look what we CAN do!" Then they toured the exact plot of land their plans were drawn for and told them, "This is what we WILL do!" Nintendo wasn't going to climb aboard with nothing more than blue sky rainbow unicorn dreams. They needed details and they needed promises, the same as JK Rowling wasn't going to sign on unless she had something presented to her that was closer to "final draft" than "opening pitch".

And that works both ways. UC isn't going to present Nintendo with fairy dust magic fantasy art and then give Nintendo final approval. Because then UC runs the risk of not being able to turn the fairy dust magic fantasy art into reality, forcing Nintendo to say, "No. Give us the rainbow unicorn dreams you promised us." Unless Universal wants headaches, delays and threats to end the partnership in their future, their original "pitch" was going to have to be pretty close to their final "pitch".

That's how things work in the business world. Even in the business world that builds rainbow unicorn magic fantasy dreams.

This literally is not how theme park IP contracts work.

Theme park IP contracts have contract terms that expressly deal with the potential of putting an IP in multiple parks and how to address it.

Most have open ended terms that allow for the collaboration to expand as long as the original baselines for spending are achieved and the IP owner approves specific details.

Look at Marvel's Universal deal as an example of a theme park IP contract that could have expanded to additional parks in Orlando/elsewhere if Universal had pulled the trigger.

I think Universal just used a USH/USF version as placeholder to get the contract signed. And that original contract probably expressly addressed the issue of multiple parks for Nintendo.

So this whole conversation is a bit baffling because Universal negotiated the option to put Nintendo in every US park and USJ from the beginning. That's why all this conversation about the original pitch is silly because Nintendo had to know when it signed the contract that things could change.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I do not know, my silly brain wants to believe that UNI knew what they could have with Nintendo. I think if anything changed, once Nintendo was officially on board, maybe both partners saw the advantages of expediting more IP's to other parts of the Orlando gates....I mean, since the deal, Nintendo has had Mario Run, the Switch, new 3Ds, updated 2Ds, SNES classic....pockemon mobile.

 

[Paulio]

Not necessarily. It was a demonstration of the thought process that was based on various rumors. Last I heard, Toon Lagoon was still up in the air but DreamWorks is the frontrunner in this exact moment in time. (It's had every IP on the planet attached to it at some point so who knows what the final one will be, but DWA makes the most sense as they can theme the rides to different movies and plop a character show into the theater. They NEED to get that merch into the shops!) With Toon Lagoon tied up, the only other possible location for a Nintendo franchise in IOA would be Lost Continent. Zelda seems like the obvious choice, as the area is a bit small for something as major as Pokemon (and a bit large for something as not-major as Kirby).

Unlike some, I don't treat every idea crossing the minds of Universal Creative as carved in stone. I've said before: until they break ground ANYTHING CAN CHANGE.

How would DWA making more sense be any different than Universal's Nintendo themed land? You have Nintendo executives, including Shigeru Miyamoto, in collaboration with Universal Creative in making the best immersive lands the parks have to offer. The only reason why we feel confident because Harry Potter was such a success for the Universal parks and Nintendo was considered equal to Disneyland's Fantasyland. Universal Creative is made up of seasoned professionals and dedicated to putting out the best attractions, they're not amateurs and they dedicate their entire heart to the project.

 

[fryoj]

Somewhere between playing devil's advocate and outright speculation: Depending on when they were negotiating with Nintendo, they might not even have known that they were getting the South property to even mention to Nintendo. Or if they knew, they legally may not have been able to tell Nintendo about it. If it were to come out that they were telling Nintendo that they were getting that property while the legal battle over the land was going on, it could have got nasty. Or if they contracted with Nintendo, and the land fell through, there could be legal issues there. I'm sure Uni had their I's crossed and T's dotted, but it would be interesting to know exactly what was discussed concerning multiple parks.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

GIFs... for the person who has nothing interesting to add to the conversation. One rung above just saying "No". A thousand rungs below actual sentences.

A thousand rungs below actual sentences, you say? Posting gifs is much more productive than shifting through your thousands of sentences about how trusted insiders are wrong.

 

[quinnmac000]

So about that Super Nintendo World

 

[chickenlilchip]

Poop management is the key to finding out what Universal is doing.