A museum dedicated to the gaming giant Nintendo is coming to Japan. The tentatively named “Nintendo Gallery” will be housed on the site of the Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant in Kyoto, where the company got its start producing hanafuda playing cards. Built in 1969, the Uji factory served as a video game console repair center until 2016, and Nintendo has been thinking of ways to repurpose the space ever since.
The news comes just months after the opening of the first-ever Nintendo theme park at Universal Studios Japan, which boasts an omnimover ride called “Yoshi’s Adventure,” a Mario Kart-themed augmented reality attraction, and “Power Mushroom” pizza bowls for sustenance.
Based on the limited details released so far, the museum appears to be a comparatively tamer venture focused on Nintendo’s “product development history and philosophy with the public,” according to a company statement. Think displays of landmark products like the ubiquitous Game Boy, first launched in 1989, which revolutionized handheld gaming; or exhibits inspired by its most popular videogames, like the 1981 arcade hit Donkey Kong or the more recent Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch.
“Does it not also contain the original Six Golden Coins, an interactive replica of Yoshi’s Island, and an Oculus VR rendition of the OG Virtual Boy library?” asked one anonymous gamer when asked by Hyperallergic what he expects to see in the new Nintendo Gallery.
Sadly, Nintendo fans will have to wait for answers: the hotly-anticipated institution won’t open its doors until 2024. (Cue Super Mario “too bad!” sound.)
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