Super Nintendo World’s Mario Kart Ride is also a video game … But only for its developers

Super Nintendo World is a theme park that celebrates video games, so it probably is not too much of a surprise that its designers recreated the entire park in VR, and created its centerpiece Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge ride as a playable, virtual attraction within a game engine. But during a press conference about the opening of Super Nintendo World Osaka, Universal Creative executives were asked how the new park uses technology to take theme park design into a new era.

60 photos from our Super Nintendo world visit

After discussing more generally how technology could make the park develop, global executive producer Tom Geraghty added a juicy detail: ‘We also used the technology in the design process. We built the whole country in VR and the design team was able to look around in one place and get sight lines and determine where to move elements to.

‘Mario Kart is built into a game engine, but so [senior vice president Thierry Coup] when he was back in the United States, he could drive Mario Kart in a game engine and give us notes in Japan. ‘Since Universal and Nintendo want you to visit their parks at some point, I highly doubt we’ll get a public release of the game version anytime soon – but it seems to have other benefits than just having fun for its designers. to be.

Coup added that the design of the game engine means that the ride can evolve more easily over time: ‘Because it’s in a game engine, we can keep updating, upgrading and posting new characters. [in], changing themes, changing actions on the fly. So if there is a special occasion, anything we want to release can be done overnight if we really wanted to. It makes it so much more flexible – it refreshes the experience. Every time you came back, you could experience something new and exciting. ‘

Super Nintendo World Merch

This is mainly possible because, although Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge is a traditional ride, the augmented reality along the way is used to enchant enemies and scenery. This is presumably what can be upgraded or mixed on separate days.

Super Nintendo World opens today in Osaka, Japan, with versions of the same park coming to Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Singapore and Epic Universe in Orlando (but the last one will only open in 2025).

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s editor – in – chief of News. Follow him further Twitter. Do you have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Send an email to [email protected].

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