While on his press trip around North America in recent weeks, Shigeru Miyamoto has been busy speaking to a variety of outlets about his development philosophies and his most recent projects. It's in an interview with ABC News, however, where Miyamoto has been asked about the prospects of a real-life theme park, inspired by Wii U launch title Nintendo Land.
When asked about the potential for such a place, Nintendo's famous games designer suggested that, actually, it's not beyond the realm of possibility.
Certainly, with Nintendo being in the entertainment industry, there may come some point in the future where that might become a possibility. But right now we've got our hands full creating our digital products. Certainly, it's not an impossibility.
Not exactly a guarantee, but an enticing prospect if nothing else. We imagine a rollercoaster based on Link's Spirit Tracks train, a laser-gun area inspired by the Metroid franchise, or simulators recreating the greatest battles from the Star Fox series; the possibilities go well beyond those ideas, of course.
Also of interest are Miyamoto's comments on the games that he's found the most enjoyable to make during his career; it seems that the early days of 3D on the Nintendo 64 are particularly fond memories.
Actually, I have a lot of fun making all the games, even surprisingly the ones that have a lot of challenges to solve or they take a lot of time to finally bring together into final form ... even those ones I have a lot of fun, and the ones where we have a lot of freedom to make the games, those are fun to make.
But, I guess, thinking back, probably "Super Mario 64" and the original "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." That era was the first time we were taking games and bringing in this new 3-D technology, building the rules and the framework through which games would be depicted in 3-D, I think, probably made those the most fun games to work on.
In working with some of the younger staff members, and when they have a question on a project and say, "I don't know who to go to to find the answer to this question," I'm always the type that says, "Well, if you don't know who has the answer, then simply make the answer yourself." I have a lot more fun when we're making up the rules as we go along.
So, what attractions would you like to see in a Nintendo theme park? It may be fantasy at the moment, but perhaps one day could become a reality.
[source abcnews.go.com]
Comments 82
This would be a dream come true.
YES. Please make it happen.
Overnight lodging in a real-life Animal Crossing-esque village. It must happen.
I love this man!
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
If they can have a Pokemon theme park (which I want to visit someday), why not a Nintendo one. Begin daydream.
A theme park would be good for Nintendo. That company needs to find other ways to generate revenue than games, and it easily has enough poplar characters to pull off a Disney-style theme park.
Dream come true.
I expect a Vitural Boy Memorial site! >:[
So, where do I throw my money to make this happen?
Whao whao whao. Me and my dad came up with this idea years ago. They could easily theme rides around different characters/franchises. I could go on all day about all the ideas!!
Enter Metroid Blast and win a Samus helmit YES PLEAS!!
Skyward Sword and Donkey Kong Country Minecart rollercoaster rides!
Target Practice with Yoshi!
NSMB Underwater swimming area!
Wario's Gold Rush!
Whack-A-Monty Mole!
Maybe a Nintendo history museum.
OK, I'll stop. ^^''
@LuigiMan200
I honestly hate the water stages in the NSMB series with a passion... but I do love those ideas, keep 'em coming!
Disney Land has a new rival
Sounds like something that should have been built in Japan during the 80s when Japan and Nintendo were kings of the world. Since there are at least 2 real life Legoland amusement parks I think its obvious a NintendoLand would work. Im kind of surprised it hasnt happened yet, though Nintendo World in NYC is kind of "meh", its just a big square store, so maybe they dont have the chops for reality.
Sort of related - buy a Basic Wii U at Target this week for $299 get NintendoLand free, for those who are cheap and dont like black. I hope all these deals are still around when Pikmin 3 finally gets a date. Shouldnt Miyamoto be working on that rather than touring the US takking about amusement parks?
@LuigiMan200 Not bad ideas! I also thought Yoshi's as a Merry Go Round though (before Mario Sunshine come out). Of course the Donkey Kong mine cart (and like you said, maybe a Zelda sort of one) could work. Every heard of MagiQuest? Maybe something similar to that for Zelda too.
That would be EPIC!
But please Nintendo, don't put it in Florida, because Disney Land (or World, whatever) is there. Plus, I want it to be somewhere closer.
A town whinger that walks around ringing a bell crying how Nintendo is doomed
@Joshers744 @Hunter-D
Never heard of MagiQuest before. It sounds like it could work though. Oh, I've got more; how about...
Kid Icarus Archery!
Zelda Fencing!
Yoshi Rides for youngsters! (not a bad idea @Joshers744)
Mario Karting!
Real Mario Party board areas!
Metroid maze, Animal Crossing village, F-Zero rollercoaster, Zelda castle, Pikmin Park and of course Mario Kart karts !
Why yes, I would like to hit a brick with my head.
They should build it near the state of New York, because that would be swell, and also.............uh, I really want to dress up as Mario when I go there.
Also, they should have an app that you can download on your 3DS, where your Mii can be walking around the theme park, and you can scan QR codes to let your Mii ride an attraction.
If they make this, It should be build it in Florida because we're the number one tourist state, and it's where I live 😄
Rather than building a whole theme park which I consider is probably a risky business venture why not work with a park like Thorpe Park and open a Nintendo area of rides?
At Alton Towers there is a Sonic the Hedgehog ride called Spinball Whizzer. Nintendo could do something similar without fear of delving into something they have no experience of.
This would be an absolute dream come true! <3
Imagine the Street Passes one might get while doing a barrel roll in Nintendo Land????
Dear god yes! Make it happen please!
imagine exploring a life sized dungeon from legend of zelda
They'd probably do one in Japan and do one in California.
No no no no no no NO. It should not happen! Just kidding of course it should! Only it would probably be sooooooooooo far from where I live that I'd never get to go there as is the case with...EVERYTHING.
Oh and just as long as Monita doesn't follow me around and talk my head off constantly. Of course that might give me the chance to smash her screen in which I'd have to pay for, but it'd be worth every penny.
Would be a place not near me
hmm... maybe even a smaller themed park within a park...you know what I mean? In Ohio (i live in WV) there is a park called Kings Island, and they got a kids area that's been Hanna Barbara, Nick, and Peanuts at different times. Maybe Nintendo would work (though I would like the fact that I'd be more interested in the kids area while everyone I'm with is in the rest of the park ).
Maybe they could do smaller theme parks strewn throughout the States (and elsewhere in the world) with a bigger central park somewhere prominent, but I bet that would be some kind of expensive.
I think one pop into Nintendo Land would be enough to unlock every achievement on the Streetpass Plaza!
That would be so cool. I always said that they should do this sort of thing.
This is something I thought Nintendo Land would've been when we first saw those stands on the stage at E3 before the actual announcement.
A real life full size amusement park would be incredible. I doubt it would happen anytime soon though.
Link's FreeFall Tower Drop = Skyward Sword.
Luigi's Haunted Mansion = Luigi's Mansions: Dark Moon
Delfino Water Park = Super Mario SunShine
MineCart Coaster with Speed Burst Sections that look like Barrels = Donkey Kong
Archery Range = Link's Crossbow Training (also a seperate kiddie Archery Range (suction cups)
Wii Sports = Wii Sports
*Stealing this one from above just because its a GREAT idea:
Animal Crossing Villiage = Overnight stays...
Houses and shops are on wheels and change locations every month...
NO 2 Towns are EVER the same in game, so why should it be the same if you go multiple times?
He said a real life theme park was a possibility when asked about it, I wouldn't exactly call that "teasing the possibility".
@rjejr
There are five LEGOLAND parks, LEGOLAND Billund, LEGOLAND Windsor, LEGOLAND Germany, LEGOLAND California and another one somewhere else in the US, I can't remember where, and that's not counting all of the LEGOLAND. Discovery Centers.
Yes. Yes! YES!!!! Nintendo, please!!!!!
More ideas? A Duck Hunt shooting gallery, Doc Louis' gym (haven't worked out that one yet), and Layton's Curious Village (solve puzzles and crack a mystery, new puzzles and mysteries regularly to keep it fresh).
For the American park, I think San Jose in Northern California would be a perfect place for it. Of course there would also be a Japanese park as well.
sega had sega world before it was closed down, as well as there is namco funscape near the london eye, so why not? as for other attractions, metroid blast from nintendo land turned into an actual attraction.
mario go kart, f-zero ride, something representing fire emblem too.
I started a thread on the forums this, this this news article will become old soon.
https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/wii-u/miyamoto_an_actual_nintendo_theme_park_is_certainly_a_possibility
Hrmm a silent Mickey Mouse on a boat vs a silent Link on a boat...
As much as I would love a Super Nintendo Land, gotta wonder how innovative it would be. Sounds so exciting tho. I'm already thinking of exhibits, rides, and attractions!
I SO CALLED IT! Okay, I didn't post it but I STILL CALLED IT!!!
Maybe I can make Donkey Kong's Crash Course world record irl
NO MORE PARKS IN FLORIDA OR CALIFORNIA!!!!
Make some in New York for once!
There's plenty of room.
Sucks that every decent Convention and Amusment Park is like at least 3 or 4 States away from here...
This would be a good idea, really.
That would be awesome!
@Red_Kinetic I'm in NY but I still say that's a bad idea. Amusement parks here have to be seasonal because of the weather, it makes more sense to have it further south. Even if it would be more accessible to us New Yorkers.
There's a Sega Republic theme park in a mall of Dubai, so yes, a Nintendo Land can come true!!
Mario Sunshine themed water park...
So when can you guys start?
Wouldn't mind visiting a Nintendo-themed park. Unless it's WAY out of my area, which would be likely. Who knows? Maybe they'd throw in Peach's Castle and Bowser's Castle, like Disney has Cinderella's.
I'd love to see this happen!
@Joshers744 You weren't the only one it seems. Even I had ideas that I discussed with my brother a few years ago.
This would be an awesome sight and dream come true. I always wanted to see the pokemon one before but never got to. So i would love a revival of Nintendo based ideas as them park rides.
Mario Kart would be epic, they already have the prototype vehicles.
I thought of this before the Wii U was even annouced, and I too, had a Mario Kart idea.
@Lunapplebloom. Yep. Looks like a ton of us have ideas. Lets just build our own darn Nintendo theme park.
They should have the boo merry go round from Super Mario 64!
That kind of philosophy is exactly what I like about Nintendo.
A theme park would be pretty cool, even if I probably would never get to go there. I'd love to see how creative Nintendo could get with the attractions.
Seems like the next logical step. Seeing how Nintendo were influenced greatly by Disney.
If Sega can make Joypolis a success, than Nintendo should open a theme park. Love to see Mario Kart bumper cars and Metriod laser tag.
No, please no. Somebody fire Miyamoto.
Great idea, it would finally bring me to Japan!
I wonder if he finds the Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time era to be the funnest because that was the last time he was involved as a Director, and being more hands on with the development of games.
@Crazybrain1
That is not only problem if Nintendoland is in Florida with Walt Disney World being though.
.
Florida is a hot bed of theme parks outside of Walt Disney World. Universal, and Sea World are located in Orlando. Busch Gardens and Legoland are down in Florida also.
Universal is getting more popular in Florida when looking at Islands of Adventure Attendance. Universal also isn't afraid of spending more money in Florida with the amount of projects their doing including Harry Potter 2.0
@Joshers744 Indeed! A themepark by the fans, for the fans! We could all be hired for their own imagineering team...
Sigh... If only...
What would I like to see in a real-life Nintendo Land?
1. Mario Kart courses you can actually race
2. A Safari Zone where you can "catch" Pokémon toys
3. An arcade with every Nintendo cabinet from the past three-and-a-bit decades
4. A park-wide scavenger hunt with fantastic prizes
5. A shop selling every Nintendo product currently available, as well as some exclusive gear
Shall I keep going?
Dreams would certainly come true if this became a reality. Only Nintendo has enough brand power other than Disney to pull off something like a theme park. Many may think Nintendo's just a video game business, but many also thought Disney was only about little cartoons. Look what they are now. It all has to start somewhere.
Gosh, the idea of a Nintendo theme park is simply magical to me. Just the thought of it is exciting. I hope Nintendo actually considers this.
Mario Kart should definitely be in there if this were to happen!
bring it to the uk
/me grabs his bow and hammer
Where can i enlist? >=oÐ
Would love to see such a thing take place.
Imagine a paper mario recreation! And also a kokiri forest recreation created for overnighting! It would be so awesome!
@GamerZack Yes!
After going to Disneyland a few years ago, I had this idea as well for a long time, I put a lot of thought I to it too, if this did happen, I'd work there with designing rides and attractions for sure. I think A hyrule Castle and Princess Peach Castle as walk ins would be cool. And having different sections would work, Hyrule, mushroom kingdom, Kongo jungle, pikmin Garden, animal crossing village, retro land, a sci-fi section for starfox, Kirby, and F-zero and metroid and the town plaza can look like Eagleland from Mother, and a isle Delfino hotel/water park would be sweet too, also adding 3rd party attractions like Sonic would be neat,for sure. Would love magical Zelda Darkrides, a Luigis mansion, a Mario party carnival, starfox simulator, metroid laser alien encounter, f-zero roller coaster, donkey Kong log ride, and animal crossing train or boat ride
@MarkDaBeast somewhere in America, Canada, and Japan too
@Metal_Slugger it would make since too, Miyamoto was a fan of Disney movies, Peter pan, and sleeping beauty were a few influences for Zelda
If there's ever will be a Nintendo ThemePark like DisneyLand then Of course it would be in Japan ;D. Also, I'm pretty sure it would be in Kyoto .... The heart of Nintendo. ( or Kantou region, the heart of Japan )
If they make it ( finger cross ) I would buy fly there JUST to be able to visited there ;D.
That's awesome!
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