Universal Reveals New Details about Epic Universe
Universal Studios fans, the moment we’ve awaited is finally here!
Mark Woodbury, the CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences at NBCUniversal, has finally revealed details about its next theme park.
Photo: NBCUniversal
Here’s everything Universal just revealed about Epic Universe!
What’s In a Name?
Photo: Universal
In March, Universal rebranded its theme parks division with the new name I just mentioned, Universal Destinations & Experiences.
At the time, Universal hinted at its future vision for the customer. It’s one that focuses more on experiences rather than attractions.
Death Eater
Universal’s main competitor, both locally and globally, is The Walt Disney Company.
Not coincidentally, Disney theme parks have added “Neighborhoods” recently in lieu of themed lands.
Similarly, Disney re-themed Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland to encourage gathering spots and playful interactive engagement.
Universal will do something similar at its upcoming Frisco, Texas, theme park, but it’s also been offering such an experience for decades now.
Obviously, I’m referencing Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), the brand that has become synonymous with Universal Studios theme park visits.
Sure, HHN technically happens in the fall, but devout fans think about it year-round. We covet the experience.
Image: Universal Studios
Not coincidentally, Universal will soon add a permanent HHN installation in Las Vegas.
At that point, HHN will be available throughout the year in Sin City. And that brings us to the now-confirmed name for the new park.
I called it Epic Universe earlier, but that’s only partially correct. As suggested in March, it’s now officially Universal Epic Universe.
The Importance of Tech
Photo: Universal Studios Japan
More importantly, Universal has suggested that it’ll emphasize technology to enhance future park visits. What does that mean? Here’s what they said.
During a conversation at the Bank of America Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, Woodbury stated the following:
“(Universal Epic Universe will be the) most technologically advanced park” ever built.
Image: Universal
That sounds like a bold statement, but Woodbury suggests reasons why it’s likely true.
The new park will offer “facial recognition (and) photo validation technology” to enjoy a “frictionless experience” while visiting.
Presumably, that means that Universal will employ similar technology to what we already see at airports.
Photo: IOA
You don’t need paperwork or even a phone in some sections of airports as long as the facial recognition scans work.
Woodbury adds several other tantalizing tidbits:
“And that speaks to both the attractions themselves, the next generation of robotics drone technology, all the way through to the guest experience.
Photo: Universal
The full guest journey is really being taken to a whole new level.”
Nighttime drone presentations are already hugely popular in some sections of the world. Here’s a Guinness Book of World Records winner:
Universal has splashed around in this playground as long as four years ago:
Here’s a 2023 version:
So, this type of presentation isn’t new per se, but the grand scale of the new park allows for more pageantry.
In terms of the guest experience, the new tech will assist with the anticipated spike in demand at the park.
Photo:themeparkhipster.com
According to Woodbury, “We have the benefit of new technology that we’re deploying in terms of managing ticketing, revenue, and revenue management across each of those platforms…”
Better crowd management tech will help at all Universal theme parks, so I hope he’s right about this.
About the Park
Photo: School of Dragons
Universal finally confirmed what we’ve reported here since the beginning.
Universal Epic Universe will host four different themed lands based on beloved intellectual properties.
Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood
Woodbury indicates that the Nintendo Land here will cover more space than the current ones at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Yet again, Universal officials sidestepped the opportunity to confirm the identities of the other three lands.
UniversalParksBlog readers know that they’re Berk from How to Train Your Dragon, Universal’s Classic Monsters, and another Harry Potter Land.
However, Woodbury confirmed the central hub that we discussed here recently. It’ll provide a “lush landscape” as a setting for relaxation.
This is the gathering spot concept driving future theme park design.
Guests who want to visit Universal Epic Universe and just hang out will find dining and shopping options here.
Image: Universal
Woodbury suggested that this central hub will “bring the park back into theme parks.”
About Universal’s Plans
The executive also confirmed something UniversalParksBlog has previously mentioned.
Ultimately, the goal of adding a third theme park is to entice guests to spend more time at Universal Orlando Resort.
Image Credit: Universal
“(We wanted) to look at how we expand visitation to the Orlando market that would garner us a full-week vacation? Right now, we get a good three days.”
So, Universal park planners are building the new park under the assumption that it’ll encourage guests to spend a whole week here.
Image: Bioreconstruct on Twitter
That’ll be a stark contrast from the current trendy vacation habit of visiting Universal for a couple of days during a Walt Disney World vacation.
Universal is building an entire theme park to train tourists to view the Orlando resort as a destination experience rather than a side quest.
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