Highlights

  • A deleted social media post has sparked speculation that a Legend of Zelda theme park attraction may be coming to Universal Studios.
  • Super Nintendo World has already introduced interactive rides based on Mario and Donkey Kong, leading to rumors of other franchises being added.
  • A recent video showing Legend of Zelda producers at a construction site suggests that the previously rumored Zelda attractions may be revived at Universal Studios' upcoming expansion.

A now-deleted social media post has fans guessing that The Legend of Zelda could be finally getting its own theme park attraction after years of speculation. When the first Super Nintendo World location opened at Universal Studios Japan back in 2021, it was primarily focused on the Big N’s flagship Super Mario Bros. franchise, but it would soon start introducing interactive rides and attractions based on its other properties. A few months after the Japanese park went live, Nintendo announced that there would be a Donkey Kong-themed expansion coming in spring 2024, with an American version being added to the upcoming Universal Studios Orlando exhibit in 2025.

Of course, Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong are just the tip of the Nintendo iceberg, and there have been multiple rumors of Super Nintendo World adding attractions based on major franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon over the years since the park was first announced. In 2020, insiders claimed that Universal Orlando was planning to replace its existing Lost Continent attraction with an area themed after The Legend of Zelda, but this was eventually abandoned in favor of the current Mario and Donkey Kong-themed attractions. However, a recent report claims that the Zelda plans are being revived, and parts of Lost Continent were closed back in May.

koji-kondo-mario-background
Related
Mario and Zelda Composer Koji Kondo Is Receiving Major Industry Award

Koji Kondo, the composer behind iconic Nintendo soundtracks for Mario, Zelda, and more, is due to receive a major award to celebrate his musical work.

A now-deleted video shared on a Universal Studios employee Instagram account appears to show Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto wearing safety gear at a construction site, as reported on by GamesRadar. While the official context was lost alongside the video itself, those who saw it and have since shared screenshots on social media claim that it was taken at Universal Studios Orlando’s upcoming Epic Universe expansion - which will be the site of the park’s Super Nintendo World attraction that is set to open next summer.

While this photo could be for anything, the presence of Aonuma and Miyamoto seems to suggest this photo depicts construction for the often-rumored Legend of Zelda exhibit. The previously mentioned 2020 report claimed that some of the previously-planned Zelda attractions could have included some sort of theater-style show featuring rows of seats that could be shifted and moved on cue and a Pirates of the Caribbean-style water ride where boats would be lifted into the air and flown around.

These ideas, or at least modified versions of them, could yet be realized at Universal Studios Orlando’s upcoming Epic Universe expansion, assuming that the photo of Eiji Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto is indeed the pair overseeing work on a Legend of Zelda theme park attraction. Nothing concrete has been verified at this point, so fans eager to experience the thrills of Hyrule in a theme park setting will have to stay tuned for more official developments. In the meantime, Super Nintendo World is set to open at Universal Studios Orlando in Orlando, Florida in the summer of 2025.