New rumors suggest that Orlando may be getting a new land based on the Pokémon franchise, and sooner than originally expected.
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Universal Studios Japan will be the first to get a Pokémon ride, rumored to be replacing The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction. That ride is set to close permanently this month, on January 22, 2024.
Rumors for the Pokémon ride have the ride path from Spider-Man being retained, but the entire ride system to be replaced. This would include entirely new ride vehicles, which are very different from the former ride’s “SCOOP” vehicles.
The Pokémon ride is expected to utilize Augmented Reality, similar to the Mario Kart attraction. This would allow for characters and effects to be displayed on goggles on top of reality while experiencing the attraction.
On the ride, it is rumored we will be able to select a Pokémon through AR that we could then use hand gestures to instruct to battle against other Pokémon and foes, working together with other riders in our vehicle. Multiple types of hand gestures would be used for different special moves.
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Back at Universal Studios Florida, recent rumors have the company not renewing its contract for The Simpsons, which is now owned by Disney. There are rumors that support a theory that The Simpsons Ride may be closing sooner than many expected, perhaps as soon as later this year or early next year.
It has also been reported that the two Sprung Tents behind this area, which are used for the Halloween Horror Nights event, may be taken down permanently. Recent permits suggest possible new locations for the Halloween event to replace these house locations instead.
It is not known yet if the old Back to the Future ride building and aging ride system would be demolished to make way for a new Pokémon-themed area. However, with all of the R&D that has gone into the new Pokémon E-Ticket ride, it’s likely that it will be cloned for the Orlando version of the land as well, but that is only speculation.
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The original rumored timeline for the latest version of the Pokémon land had it opening by 2030, but new rumors suggest the timeline has been moved up. With new HHN locations rumored to replace the sprung tents this year, and talk of The Simpsons Ride closing as soon as this year or next year, we may see this new Pokémon land open several years sooner than expected.
