Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Universal Parks & Resorts have announced a new partnership today that will introduce the Japanese developer’s most iconic characters and games to Universal theme parks.

“Nintendo has created remarkable and imaginative worlds filled with captivating stories and beloved characters,” the official statement says. “Now, for the first time, those stories and characters will be brought to life in entirely new ways – only at Universal theme parks. The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games.”

While the partnership does not mean that Nintendo will be getting its own dedicated theme park, Universal has created distinct areas of its parks in the past that cater to specific fandoms. Perhaps the most famous example is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, which opened nearly five years ago and features rides, shops, restaurants and other attractions that are themed after the Harry Potter films.

There are currently no details for a timeframe of when Nintendo properties will make its way into Universal parks, but this September will mark a major milestone for the developer, as it will be the 30 year anniversary of Nintendo’s most iconic game series, Super Mario Bros.

Mario has appeared in over 200 games and has been called the Mickey Mouse of Nintendo, a comparison that seems especially appropriate given the new partnership with Universal.

Nintendo makes a profit … finally

In other good news coming from Nintendo, the company also reported its first annual profit since 2011.

Nintendo earned an operating income of 24.7 billion yen for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, based off of a total sales revenue of 549 billion yen. But while the game company earned its first operating profit in three years, it does not seem like much cause for celebration.

Nintendo’s Wii U console has continued to perform poorly, especially when compared to the runaway success of the PlayStation 4. According to Nintendo, 3.65 million Wii U units were sold last year, bringing the total sales up to 9.54 million. By comparison, PlayStation 4 has already broken 20 million in sales, and the original Wii console sold over 100 million units in its lifetime.

Analysts are attributing much of Nintendo’s profit to changes in currency exchange rates, but they also note that record sales of 3DS games contributed to Nintendo’s success.

photo credit: smcgee via photopin cc