The first Super Nintendo World section, set to open within Universal Studios Japan, will open later than originally planned. The theme park section, which features Super Mario series motifs like Princess Peach’s Castle and a walking Yoshi, was originally set to open during Summer 2020. [Thanks, Livedoor News!]
Essentially, the reason for the delay is due to the park focusing on maintaining coronavirus prevention methods. Universal Studios Japan reopened last week, with guests limited to annual passholders and Kansai residents due to a request from the Japanese government, and has also adopted enhanced sanitation measures. The focus on reopening the park and strengthening sanitation is being prioritized, and construction and preparation of the new section was also delayed due to the lockdown. This one-two punch is what led to the delay, which is expected to be officially announced soon. According to those involved, it seems that the opinion is that it’ll be quite difficult to balance the opening of the new section with the increased sanitation measures.
While the Super Nintendo World section is expected to open in Fall 2020 or after, depending on the situation with the coronavirus, there is a chance that it will be pushed back to 2021. If so, it will once again coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, which have also been rescheduled for 2021.
