WE ARE BORN TO PLAY Music Video Launches as Super Nintendo World Is Announced To Open At Universal Studios Japan This Summer

Today, Universal Studios Japan announced its new global No Limit brand campaign, as well as revealed new details about its upcoming SUPER NINTENDO WORLD area, opening in Universal Studios Japan this summer. In addition, a special SUPER NINTENDO WORLD music video featuring international music superstars Galantis and Charli XCX was released to launch the new campaign.

SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will be an expansive, highly themed and immersive land featuring Nintendo’s legendary worlds, characters and adventures. Guests will feel as if they are playing inside their favorite Nintendo video games – in real life. It will be filled with incredibly fun rides, shops, a restaurant and interactive gameplay throughout the land. And there will be something for everyone, regardless of age or gaming experience. Universal Studios Japan will be the first Universal theme park to feature SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, followed by Universal theme parks in Hollywood, Orlando and Singapore.

SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will feature a new level of theme park guest experience that blends the physical world with the world of the video game – bringing the world of Nintendo to life in a whole new way for guests. Guests can use a combination of state-of-the-art technology – a wearable wrist band called a Power Up Band – and a specially designed app. This will allow them to have interactive experiences, making use of their arms, hands and entire bodies as they explore the new area – making them feel like they are truly part of the video game world. Guests can download the Universal Studios Japan app on their smartphones and link it to a Power Up Band that can be purchased in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD to enhance their experience. The Power Up Bands are themed to different characters, so guests can select to wear one based on one of their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters!

While wearing the band, guests can collect digital coins just like Mario does in the games. They can even compete with other guests to see who collected the most coins, among other fun and friendly competitions. State-of-the-art technology is being used in the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD area to bring all of these interactive activities to life.

J.L. Bonnier, President, Chief Executive Officer, USJ LLC, said “It’s been more than 3 years since Universal Parks & Resorts announced the development of “SUPER NINTENDO WORLD” globally, I am very excited that we now have finally entered the year of opening SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Since we have been intensively collaborating with the Representative Director and Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto who has received recognition as a Person of Cultural Merit, as well as collaborated with other talented members of Nintendo. Given this fact, we have great confidence in the quality of the new area. The history of “Asobi” (playing) created by Nintendo, the world's top game brand, has always surprised people with innovation. It's not too much to say that for decades, it's the one and only game entertainment that can share excitement from the same perspective, regardless of generation. We have finally welcomed a year in which Universal Studios Japan can deliver such exhilarating experience to its guests in collaboration with Nintendo, a company that has continued to deliver innovation to society.”

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN FUSES STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY AND SMARTPHONES TO CREATE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND THEME PARK EXPERIENCE!

SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will feature many interactive features that will be familiar to anyone that knows Mario’s world. This includes Question Blocks that will appear around the area. While wearing a Power Up Band, guests can hit a real-life Question Block and collect coins, just like in the video game.

Guests can also obtain collectible items, such as character stamps, by achieving various goals. Coins are allocated for each stamp, with the total number of coins earned by each guest ranked with all other guests in the park, making the entire experience feel like competing for a high score in a video game. There are all kinds of ways to earn coins throughout the entire land, and guests can keep score, compete against each other and celebrate together when they win.

In addition, “Key Challenges” will be featured throughout the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD area. By collecting a certain number of digital “keys,” guests can cooperate with other guests who also have keys to unlock additional gameplay opportunities, including “Boss Battles” against various enemy characters.

Thierry Coup, the Senior Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, Universal Creative, said, “Think of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD as a life-size, living video game where you become one of the characters. You’re not just playing the game; you’re living the game, you’re living the adventure. Nintendo’s most iconic locations and experiences will be brought to life, including Mushroom Kingdom, Peach’s Castle, an incredible Mario Kart ride, Bowser’s Castle – and more. We have developed some state-of-the-art technology to create the perfect fusion of the physical world with the world of video game; one of them is a custom designed wearable wristband that we call the “Power Up Band”.

The “Power Up Band” will connect guests with dozens of iconic Nintendo items throughout the land in a truly seamless and innovative way – and the app will keep track of their adventures and any coins, stamps or other iconic elements they earn along the way. There will be opportunities to advance through achievements, keep score, compete against each other and celebrate together when you win. I think the seamless integration of the gameplay is one of the most innovative experiences we have ever created at Universal Studios.”

MAKING JAPAN AND THE WORLD “SUPER ENERGIZED!”

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN ALSO ANNOUNCED ITS NEW CHALLENGE

Universal Studios Japan is calling 2020 the “Year of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD” and will kick off its new No Limit campaign in February.

SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is the result of a global partnership between Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo – two icons of the entertainment world. Universal theme parks create incredibly popular family entertainment experiences for millions of people based on compelling characters, stories and innovative technology. Nintendo creates imaginative games filled with captivating stories and beloved characters.

Ayumu Yamamoto, Vice President, Marketing Department, USJ LLC, said “SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is our first campaign with our new brand slogan “NO LIMIT!” Guests will feel “NO LIMIT!” CHO-GENKI -super energized - by our entertainment developed with unlimited creativity. Guests at SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will enjoy competing with friends and family, and making use of their entire bodies. We can’t wait for all of you to unleash your instinct to play and feel “CHO-GENKI!”

MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED TODAY! ‘WE ARE BORN TO PLAY’ WITH INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED ARTISTS

An accompanying song and music video for SUPER NINTENDO WORLD were also released globally today on Jan. 14, 2020. “We Are Born to Play” is expressing our wish to “bring to life the world of a Mario game.” Music was created as a collaboration between internationally-known dance music duo, Galantis and global pop superstar Charli XCX.　The music video combines world most famous game soundtrack with new music and imagery. The music video also showcases the activities based on the real and interactive experiences available at “SUPER NINTENDO WORLD”—like hitting the blocks to gather coins and running and jumping.

The title of music is “We Are Born to Play.”

Launch Music Video Outline

Title: “WE ARE BORN TO PLAY” Galantis ft. Charli XCX

Artist’s profile: Galantis
Internationally acclaimed Swedish duo/producers setting a new standard for songwriting in dance music, with over 3 billion cumulative worldwide streams and over 1 billion video views to date.

Galantis interview
Hello everyone in Japan. We are Galantis.

I think Japan has always been on the forefront of all types of culture,

and I think it’s been a huge influence on us since we were really young, young days.

Technology, food, movies, cartoons, Design.

Our experience performing in Japan has been amazing from the first show we’ve ever done in Japan

It’s probably the place in the world where the crowd is singing back our songs in perfect pitch.

Yeah, like in a huge choir, 10,000 people with one voice.

Mario Kart is the number one game of all games that I have played the most.

I played it since the first day it came out on every console up to today on Nintendo Switch.

So the process of re-working the Super Mario theme song — Well first of all, I’ve got to say it was so much fun

But it was a big challenge, because those melodies are so amazing and so important, and it’s like our childhood, so we didn’t want to leave any of that out, and still we wanted to put Galantis in it,

Yeah, it’s been such a great honor, working with Nintendo and with Super Mario.

No but really, I think this is like a dream.

And I’ve had this as a childhood dream to actually have the part — it’s just an amazing feeling to feel like now we are actually a part of the whole thing — I think Super Nintendo World is going to be absolutely amazing.

I think it’s something that we always wanted to do — like actually live the games that we grew up with and that we are still playing every day.

There’s so much I want to know and try — it’s kind of mind-blowing thinking about it.

People are going to naturally come together, travel around from all over the places of the world and just have a place to unite.

First time seeing the trailer and hearing our music — full body chills. It looks amazing. Pretty unreal that we got to work on it. Yeah, I would say so. Amazing. Let’s go, let’s do it. Here we go!

Artist’s profile: Charli XCX
Born in England, she is not only a performer but also a creator, has a unique presence and has performed with artists from around the world. “Fancy” and “I Love It” are both world-class platinum-selling hits from a young talented Grammy-nominated artist who has won Billboard Music Awards.

Charli XCX interview
Hello everyone in Japan. I am Charli XCX. I was approached few months ago, about SNW opening at USJ, and this told that a song was needed for the launch and GALANTIS who I know I’ve collaborated with members of GALANTIS before. The idea was about to put together this really like a FUN and SUPER song that would go alongside the theme park that represents all the “SUPER NINTENDO WORLD” is about. So there are lots of mentions of SUPER, SUPER STARS, JUMPING and the main tagline is that “we are born to play” which is what everyone is going to play in the park.

“We are born to play” is really a fun line, and I guess everybody wants to have a good time and wants to feel free, and wants to rest upon their lives and enjoy themselves. So it’s cute super fun tagline that draws the whole song together.

When I was younger, I had a Game Boy. Growing up I was constantly playing Super Mario. There were three kinds of games I repeatedly played, and one of them was definitely Super Mario. I think it was kind of a big part of my childhood. Well, it was just so fun. I think that’s what’s cool about video games where players can be in a world of fantasy.

I really love Japan and Japanese culture and I am extremely inspired by J-POP music.

I’ve always thought not only the music but the visuals and MV that go alongside the music have been elevated and really creative and mind-blowing in Japan. It’s just so inspiring and I feel like I could learn from J-POP culture’s visuals and MVs. I just think it’s wonderful and extra loud about the bright colorful pallets that are really exciting to me. I’ve been to Tokyo quite a few times, and I actually shot two music videos in Tokyo. One I made was a Japanese version of my song “Boom Clap” and was shot in Tokyo.

It’s so crazy to be here with Nintendo bringing this game to life. Because when I play games on the monitor I feel like I'm really good, but in reality it's not. But I'm really into the game right now and really enjoying it.

Something really unique and cool about “SUPER NINTENDO WORLD” is the idea of constant games, meaning you can constantly play and interact with people. To create an experience that is sensualized around the idea of connection and communication between people is really cool and really fun. I think it would be a great experience for the people who go to the park.

About Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan is wholly owned by Comcast NBCUniversal.

Universal Studios Japan located in Osaka, Japan, has succeeded in establishing its position as a prominent entertainment and leisure landmark drawing many guests from distant areas in Japan as well as overseas.
"Bringing You the Best of the World" - a theme park where its guests can have the world’s best experiences and create the world’s best memories, Universal Studios Japan offers world-class entertainment such as authentic attractions and shows, based not only on Hollywood blockbusters but also popular entertainment brands, and a variety of seasonal events entertaining its guests to the fullest.

Universal Studios Japan has continued to evolve since its opening and has recently accelerated its growth with the launch of world-class entertainment experiences such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Flying Dinosaur and Minion Park and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem Ride. Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan will become a Nintendo-themed, expansive entertainment area featuring Nintendo's legendary worlds and characters.