What a ride!

As well as branching out into the smartphone gaming business in 2016, Nintendo is also looking to leverage its properties by hooking up with Universal Studios, with the aim of creating a theme park featuring the likes of Mario and company.

That particular deal was inked earlier this year, and Universal is now trying to drastically expand the amount of land it has available at its Orlando location in Florida. The company already has two theme parks in the area - Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure - and this land-grab could indicate that a third is in the works.

The 474 acres of land in question lies north of the Orange County Convention Center, and is at present owned by private equity firm Colony Capital LLC. Known as the Sand Lake Road Complex, it was a previously owned by Lockheed Martin and was purchased by Colony Capital for $500,000 (plus some existing debt) at a foreclosure auction last month.

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Unsurprisingly, Universal isn't the only firm which has tabled a bid for the plot of land, but its need to expand - combined with the incredible profits it has generated via its theme park business - could mean that the company's desire is greater than that of its rivals.

Universal's Orlando resort is essentially landlocked and has no room for expansion, so the plot will be incredibly attractive to the firm - especially as it has the potentially lucrative Nintendo deal on the table. There are rumours that Universal is planning an entire park based on video game properties, including the likes of Warcraft.

[source slashfilm.com]