Nintendo has announced that will transform its Uji Ogura Plant into an Exhibition House. There, it will showcase the products it has launched over the company’s history. Tentatively named “Nintendo Gallery,” the facility will have historical products as well as other exhibits and experiences. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
According to an official press release, the exhibit is expected to be completed by March 2024. The company plans to renovate its Uji Ogura plant located in Kyoto prefecture in order to house the new Nintendo Gallery. Built in 1969, the plant manufactured playing cards and Hanafuda cards, before Nintendo made the shift to producing video games. It also functioned as a customer service center for product repairs before its closure in 2016.
Since 2016, there have been discussions within Nintendo on how to utilize the land. Additionally, there have also been ongoing discussions about the possibility of opening a gallery. Nintendo made the final decision to go ahead with the Exhibition House after the City of Uji announced plans to redevelop the surrounding Ogura area.
The gallery is part of Nintendo’s ongoing business strategy of expanding to non-video game media. The most recent example of this is the Super Nintendo World amusement park in Universal Studios Japan. The company has also announced that it is planning on making a Super Mario movie with the help of Minions studio Illumination Entertainment, set to release in 2022. Nintendo plans to open the Nintendo Gallery exhibition house by March 2024.
