When it comes to Super Nintendo World and Nintendo’s presence at Universal Studios, fans have always wondered if the Legend of Zelda would get an area there too. After all, it’s Nintendo’s second biggest series after Mario, and with the former already being the focus of the park so far, the most obvious choice for a second franchise at the park.
And now it seems like that’s become just that bit more likely. Why? Because in a behind the scenes video showing the construction of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios, it seems Miyamoto and Aonuma can be spotted in the background! We would post the clip in question, but it’s been removed from the Universal Studios Instagram account.
So that’s not possible here. Instead, here’s a screenshot from the video where you can see both of them at once:
The two Nintendo directors in the video
As you can see, it’s clearly Miyamoto and Aonuma in the picture. But what does this mean exactly? Could it really indicate that Universal Studios will be getting a Zelda themed area, to go with the Mario and Donkey Kong themed ones.
Well, it’s hard to say. On the one hand, there are credible sounding rumours of a Legend of Zelda themed area being planned for at least one Universal Studios park, with said rumours indicating that it’d have a boat ride attraction, rollercoaster and Deku Tree themed restaurant among other attractions.
So, this would lend some credibility to those.
And it would make sense given the status of the Zelda series too. As mentioned earlier, it’s Nintendo’s second biggest series after Mario (at least in terms of ones they fully own; Pokémon is a slightly different legal situation), and it’s getting a lot more attention in recent years too, with the last two games setting sales records for the franchise and a live action being underway as we speak.
But there are other things to consider too. For one thing, we don’t know exactly when this video was filmed, so it could be an older clip from a previous visit rather than a recent one. Or he could just be visiting alongside Miyamoto for whatever reason, as a general representative of Nintendo. His role at Nintendo is a bit more generic than just ‘Legend of Zelda Showrunner’ after all.
Either way, we’re more inclined to believe the former theory ourselves. He’s so heavily associated with the Legend of Zelda series, and said series is so obviously a good choice for a theme park setting that it’d make sense his visit would tie into that.
Plus, with the growing popularity of the series in recent years and Nintendo’s heavier push towards merchandising it, a Zelda themed area just makes so much sense about now.
Still, what are your thoughts on the matter? Does Aonuma’s presence at Universal Studios hint at a Zelda themed area being added to the park in future? Why do you think the video was taken down anyway?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or on our Discord server today!
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