Epic Universe Rumors and Thoughts for the New Park

With the news of the future park coming to Universal Studios Orlando, I thought it would be fun to create an article about what I hope will be implemented. Some of this will have rumor or speculation but it is by no means to be taken as fact. These are things that I would like to see come to Universal Studios. The addition of another park opens up a whole new set of possibilities for what can be added. With the announcement of Epic Universe, there has been a barrage of rumors as well. These listed below are solely what I would like to see happen rather than what will happen. So let’s jump right into Epic Universe rumors and thoughts!

Entrance

The entrance of the park looks to be the classic Universal Studio’s archway. The archway opens into an area that looks like a standard entrance plaza with pathways leading in either direction. The building to the right of the arch is most likely going to be guest relations and wheelchair/ stroller rental as its a smaller building. I would not be surprised if the big building to the left of the arch is a massive shopping area with quick service type restaurants. Going just north of the entrance plaza, the octagon structure almost feels like a carousel type ride (maybe over the water?). As you continue on either of the pathways, you will end up in the central hub.

Central Hub

This is an interesting design if the concept art is accurate. There are several buildings around the central hub but the focus is on the water fountain and the giant dome. The first thing that comes to mind is a concert hall as they are pushing big entertainment. The other possibility would be some type of water show as its location is in the middle of a waterway. Continue up the central hub and you come to what is expected to be a massive hotel/resort. The size looks impressive! It will be great for the resort to be right at the parks with no waiting for transportation. 

I am curious to know if this will be open late hours and the individual areas will be closed at certain times. The central hub has more of a city walk vibe than the actual park. We will see how this plays out when it opens. Universal could be trying to break the mold so to speak with having the entertainment center and themed areas off from that.  From here we’ll look at the individual areas and see what we think!

Top Left

This area is the biggest area of contention at this point! Universal had previously partnered with Nintendo to create a themed land at Universal Studios Japan. Now there is some question whether this area is their version of Nintendo Land in the US. This is probably one of the biggest Epic Universe rumors out there. If you look at the entranceway to this area, it almost appears to have the iconic green tube from Mario laying flat. However, the Landscaping in the concept art is difficult to say specifically what the theme is. The squares buildings are more reminiscent of Pokemon then Mario. Although possible for the Mushroom Kingdom. Moreover, it does look like the logo on the ground, it almost resembles the Mario Sunshine logo. it’s hard to tell as far as what rides will be here from the concept art. 

Moving towards the back area, it has an island-like feel which could be either Yoshi or Donkey Kong. Overall, I do think this area is likely Nintendo World which would be great!  there appears to be a small coaster in the back area coming from the building which either will be an indoor coaster or more of a family coaster as there are no loops present on the concept art. If Mario is present, then we need to have Mario cart racing! If this is indeed Nintendo Land I would definitely like to see Donkey Kong and Mario represented, although Link and Zelda would be an awesome addition as well.

Top Right 

I think this area is the one that most people are curious about. This area has a darker feel with almost ominous tight presents. There’s a lot of speculation going around that this could be monster-themed which seems pretty likely. The castle towards the back end has a Dracula / Frankenstein type feel to it.  if you don’t know who the classic monsters are; they are Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, The Mummy.

This could be a first if it is true as I don’t know any other part that has a villain flash monster type theme. Towards the back end of this area there looks to be a huge stage / Auditorium so we will likely see shows of some kind. The overall building structure, from the concept art at least, looks to have a 1800s type feel to it. If this were to happen, I want to see a Dracula roller coaster through the castle. Other than monsters at this point, I don’t know what this land could be represented with universal current IPs. We may even see an appearance of Van Helsing!

Bottom right

The area to the top right is a little trickier as there is not much to it. It looks to have a single roadway that is met with a building facade. The building itself has almost a Parisian style feel to it or possibly New York. There has been a lot of Epic Universe rumors that this could be the French Ministry from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise. It is really difficult to tell from the concept art released. A majority of this area looks to be inside a single structure so could be various activities and some kind of ride. It would be amazing for there to be a connecting train to the other parks from here. Similar to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure but this is unlikely due to the distance from the others. 

Bottom Left

The bottom right is a little more difficult as it has an outdoors feel with a few overhangs. This could be How To Train A Dragon (HTTAD) but not sure. I would not be surprised if that is what the theming of the dual coaster is. Universal Studios had gotten rid of its prior dual coaster to make room for Hagrids Magical Motorbike Adventure. This looks to be an impressive ride and a fairly long track. The land next to it could be a bunch of different things. I would like to see this as a Dreamworks area to incorporate other IPs such as Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar along with HTTAD. There is a lot that could be done in that type of area. It does look like there may be a climbing structure for kids by the rock face just below the dueling coaster.  

Final thoughts

There is a lot of unknowns about the new Epic Universe park but quite a bit of speculation. At this point, I would take most with a grain of salt. However, these are the things that I would like to see integrated into the new park. The Monster area would be great but not sure how feasible as far as sustainability. Universal typically caters to older children and adults so this could very well happen. The Nintendo land seems likely but it is unclear how it will be adapted for this park. I don’t know of any other IPs that would fit well within a theme park that isn’t already partially integrated.  There are a lot of Epic Universe rumors but only time will tell as to what is released into the park!

What would you like to see in this park? Let us know in the comments below!