First Super Nintendo World in US to open in early 2023 at Universal Studios Hollywood

One of the most anticipated rides at the attraction will be based on popular video game 'Mario Kart'

A sneak peek of Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge at Super Nintendo World, Universal Studios Hollywood. Photo: Universal Studios

The first Super Nintendo World in the US will open in early 2023. The date announcement came as Universal Studios Hollywood and Nintendo released new photos and a video trailer of their anticipated interactive, augmented-reality ride, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.

The goal of the ride is simple: “As part of Team Mario, guests will steer through courses underwater and in the clouds to compete for the Golden Cup while collecting coins to defeat Team Bowser and win," a statement from Universal Studios Hollywood reads.

It was announced on March 10, also known as Mario Day, that the theme park would be opening in the US. It comes after the successful launch of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan last year.

What to expect at Super Nintendo World US

In March 2021, after months of delays owing to the pandemic, Nintendo’s first theme park opened in Osaka, Japan. It features a Mario Kart ride in Bowser’s Castle, a ride based on the green dinosaur Yoshi, a Princess Peach castle and Mario-theme restaurants.

"We perfectly recreated the world of the game," said Ayumu Yamamoto, Universal Studios Japan's marketing communication manager at the time. "You'll find life-sized piranha plants and Bowser, and you'll see what it is like to be Mario. It took almost a year longer than we had expected to open this place, and we are really glad."

Augmented-reality goggles attached to a plastic red visor are used in the Mario Kart ride, one of the park's main draws that promises to bring the racing game to life.

The ride follows a track around the foreboding castle of Mario's enemy Bowser, an evil turtle, but each seat has a steering wheel and players can collect and shoot items at opponents.

Music from the popular Mario games plays throughout the park and a smartphone-linked wristband allows visitors to collect virtual coins by punching blocks, just like the Italian plumber.