The Future of The Simpsons Ride/Springfield (Orlando)

[Sithina]

I don’t know how limited AR technology really is but if Universal and Nintendo want to take a gameplay attraction to the absolute next level there is one way to do it: Pokémon Stadium.

Bring battles to life with guests picking a team of 3 in double battle format to keep things moving. Think the AR goggles in Mario Kart scaled up to a giant clear wall that’s given a purpose in the attraction as “protective shielding” combined with 4D theater like audience seating to give immersive effects when a move like Earthquake is used.

So, there were a lot of exciting announcements during the last Pokemon Presents in February, and this comment made me think of one announcement in particular. I have no idea how a concept like this game would work in a theme park setting, but with a Stadium format, it would be quite interesting. And extremely exciting, visually, which is important in a theme park.

I don't see Nintendo/TPC/GameFreak or Universal allowing this exact format in the parks (imagine the chaos of trainers being able to bring in their own Pokemon to battle other trainers' teams--no way would that work at a theme park scale, unless it was a sponsored invitational tournament or something), but it definitely provides a foundation for the type of story/experience a Stadium-type game could bring.

It's currently in active development for both Switch 2 and mobile (yes, crossplay battles between consoles and mobile are what this game is featuring, with trainers' own Pokemon from any Generation--or Pokemon Go--and not just Pokemon chosen by GameFreak to be included in the game [which is what the two console Stadium titles did with their roster of available Pokemon]; there are no limits on Gen or Legendaries in this game).

There's a trailer here:



With this title on the way (probably 2027), it gives an idea of what an updated Stadium experience might look like, even if the Pokemon selection was scaled down to streamline the experience. And it's already using software that could be scaled for a theme park attraction.

 

[Mike S]

So, there were a lot of exciting announcements during the last Pokemon Presents in February, and this comment made me think of one announcement in particular. I have no idea how a concept like this game would work in a theme park setting, but with a Stadium format, it would be quite interesting. And extremely exciting, visually, which is important in a theme park.

I don't see Nintendo/TPC/GameFreak or Universal allowing this exact format in the parks (imagine the chaos of trainers being able to bring in their own Pokemon to battle other trainers' teams--no way would that work at a theme park scale, unless it was a sponsored invitational tournament or something), but it definitely provides a foundation for the type of story/experience a Stadium-type game could bring.

It's currently in active development for both Switch 2 and mobile (yes, crossplay battles between consoles and mobile are what this game is featuring, with trainers' own Pokemon from any Generation--or Pokemon Go--and not just Pokemon chosen by GameFreak to be included in the game [which is what the two console Stadium titles did with their roster of available Pokemon]; there are no limits on Gen or Legendaries in this game).

There's a trailer here:



With this title on the way (probably 2027), it gives an idea of what an updated Stadium experience might look like, even if the Pokemon selection was scaled down to streamline the experience. And it's already using software that could be scaled for a theme park attraction.

On trainers bringing their own Pokémon… What if it was allowed, but only during a special yearly event?

2025 Pokémon World Championships

The Pokémon World Championships is a grand celebration of both competition and community. Learn more about when and where the event of the season is taking place.

worlds.pokemon.com

 

[Sithina]

On trainers bringing their own Pokémon… What if it was allowed, but only during a special yearly event?

2025 Pokémon World Championships

The Pokémon World Championships is a grand celebration of both competition and community. Learn more about when and where the event of the season is taking place.

worlds.pokemon.com

This is the kind of limited-ticket event I'm picturing! There's no way TPC wouldn't tie an entire theme park land into one of their big, yearly (or bi-yearly) events. Even if it's not marketed internationally, the national/regional draw would be huge. Just imagine the ticket, hotel, and merch sales!

But, seriously, hosting a yearly event like this makes a lot of sense for Universal & Nintendo/TPC. Pokemon is such a kinetic franchise, and battling other trainers is a big part of that. It's part of why Pokemon Go exploded in 2016--you could catch Pokemon anywhere and engage in battles right on your phone. It would be difficult to bring that trainer vs. trainer energy with a ride, but regional/national events like this would definitely add great energy. TPC has gotten great at presenting these competitions in a very crowd-pleasing way. It's not just a couple of kids sitting at a folding table playing while people watch a dodgy, overhead stream from their chairs--these battles are big events put up on large screens that everyone can stop and watch, even if they aren't in the event room itself.

Adults and families will absolutely flock to this land, and "Pokemon Days"would be a huge win. Probably a logistical nightmare, but the pros outweigh the cons here. And a state-of-the-art theme park could offer so many more experiences on top of what Worlds already offers during their event. Even if TPC didn't tie it into their tournament schedule (I'm not up on the current guest numbers Worlds brings, but its held in large convention centers for a reason), hosting something in the park in February/March when they usually do their big "Pokemon Presents" for the year would be huge.

And, again, the sales potential!

 

[Mike S]

This is the kind of limited-ticket event I'm picturing! There's no way TPC wouldn't tie an entire theme park land into one of their big, yearly (or bi-yearly) events. Even if it's not marketed internationally, the national/regional draw would be huge. Just imagine the ticket, hotel, and merch sales!

But, seriously, hosting a yearly event like this makes a lot of sense for Universal & Nintendo/TPC. Pokemon is such a kinetic franchise, and battling other trainers is a big part of that. It's part of why Pokemon Go exploded in 2016--you could catch Pokemon anywhere and engage in battles right on your phone. It would be difficult to bring that trainer vs. trainer energy with a ride, but regional/national events like this would definitely add great energy. TPC has gotten great at presenting these competitions in a very crowd-pleasing way. It's not just a couple of kids sitting at a folding table playing while people watch a dodgy, overhead stream from their chairs--these battles are big events put up on large screens that everyone can stop and watch, even if they aren't in the event room itself.

Adults and families will absolutely flock to this land, and "Pokemon Days"would be a huge win. Probably a logistical nightmare, but the pros outweigh the cons here. And a state-of-the-art theme park could offer so many more experiences on top of what Worlds already offers during their event. Even if TPC didn't tie it into their tournament schedule (I'm not up on the current guest numbers Worlds brings, but its held in large convention centers for a reason), hosting something in the park in February/March when they usually do their big "Pokemon Presents" for the year would be huge.

And, again, the sales potential!

My thought process was to host the actual tournament with certain battles happening in my described attraction. During this event the attraction would be audience only for park guests. The rest of the tournament would be at the Orlando Convention Center. Between the convention center and the park it would be a huge “Pokémon Weekend” type event or it could be longer than a weekend with the arrival of the Championships being the conclusion.