A lot of us have been wondering what we can expect to come to Universal Orlando’s new ‘Epic Universe’ park.

We haven’t been getting a lot of information on it, but there appears to be a reason for this.

During a “fireside chat” at the Bank of America Merrill Lynce 2019 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, that took place on September 12, Universal Parks Chairman and CEO, Tom Williams talked a bit about why there has been so much mystery about it.

“We haven’t announced price [of what the park will cost]. We haven’t announced the content in terms of the IP or even timing because it’s senseless to do so. Why tell the competition what you are doing? And beyond that, why risk deferring attendance.

That makes no sense. So we are hard at work. We have done our demand modeling. We have done our research. We have fully planned the park. We are beginning to work on it now with masquerading and so forth, preparing the land, installing infrastructure. So that’s definitely a big priority.”

I get what he’s saying, but I don’t know if I agree 100%. Yes, keep it hush, hush so that the competition doesn’t get a leg up on you or you disappoint fans. I think that disappointment was a factor in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge because things that were originally announced were cut or had corners cut and both attractions weren’t open. I get not wanting to get fans all excited and realize you need to cut back, that is smart.

But, not talking about it so the competition doesn’t find out is pointless. I’m sure that stuff gets leaked back and forth all the time. So I will say that I get the idea, but I think trying to keep the “competition” from knowing what’s up is futile.

In regards to people waiting to attend. That could happen anyways. People are already talking that they are saving up for a trip when it opens and it could take 5-6 years to do so. It’s a completely new park!  But most people will still come, announcing things won’t stop people who weren’t already fans. Those that are willing to wait, were going to wait announcements or not. 2023 has been the rumored opening date, but nothing is official.

Keep in mind, if you are waiting to go, it’s going to be awhile.

But what about competition from Disney?

Williams did kind of get a dig at Disney parks by indicating that they don’t have to compete to be successful against them.
” ..Universal doesn’t have to compete against Disney and that “Disney owns the very young ones,” while explaining that Universal can be successful without having to pull in the numbers that Disney resorts do by focusing instead on the whole family.”

However, Disney Cruise Lines they do consider competition. They are becoming more and more of a destination with private islands, and cruise ships that almost feel like a park unto themselves.

I do think that this new park could give them a bit of an edge. Nintendo Land especially, could be a threat to Disney. We know that is coming to Orlando, even if it hasn’t been officially announced. Nintendo has characters that are beloved and known even more than IP Disney now owns. People are really excited about the idea, and a lot of people are getting burned out on Disney owning practically everything. There have been some missteps with IP that is souring people on the company. They need to fix that ASAP.

No idea when we will get more information on Epic Universe. Rumors have been swirling about what could be included from Universal Monsters to Star Trek.  Nintendo Land is all but confirmed though and I’m sure there will be more Harry Potter.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Source: Orlando Weekly