The Pokémon Company and Universal Studios announced that the global franchise will join other major licenses (like Nintendo) at theme parks in Japan and the US. This will arrive in the form of a ‘world-class’ attraction that will double as an “interactive experience.”
This new team-up also has nothing to do with the previously announced PokéPark KANTO, which is still on schedule for a February 2026 opening (also opening in Japan), but it will provide an interactive experience. The announcement was made on the official Universal Studios Japan X account (formerly Twitter), which can be seen below.
The statement (loosely translated by Google) reads, “Based on a hyper-realistic experience that all five senses, it brings the Pokémon world to life in an unprecedentedly interactive and rich way.” While it’s also not clear whether the project will start as part of Super Nintendo World or be its own section of the park, the development project will first launch in Osaka, Japan, and then be delivered across global locations. That’s their plan for the moment.
The Pokémon Company President, Tsunekazu Ishihara, said, “Since announcing our medium- to long-term alliance in 2021, we have collaborated with Universal Studios Japan’s outstanding creative vision and world-class technical capabilities to produce a variety of ‘real-life Pokémon experiences,’ including the NO LIMIT! Parade and Halloween show,” in a statement provided by NintendoLife.
Ishihara continues with “As Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, we are thrilled to launch this new project at such a significant milestone. Our mission is to enrich both the real and virtual worlds through Pokémon, and with this project, we aim to create theme park entertainment that surprises and delights fans around the globe.”
The first PokéPark was a multi-location theme park that started in 2005 (last reported in 2006). It served as “Pokémon The Park” (or PokéPark), which is an earlier iteration of what they seek to accomplish with Universal this time around. More information can be found on the official Universal website.
