INSIDER Q&A-NINTENDO'S BOWSER

With a new theme park attraction opened last month, an upcoming major motion picture and the sequel to a massive hit video game about to be released, everything's coming up Nintendo.

Doug Bowser, the head of Nintendo USA since 2019, spoke at Universal Studios Hollywood's Super Nintendo World in Los Angeles: 

Q: You've got a new movie ("The Super Mario Bros. Movie," April 7), this new attraction at Universal, and the new Legend of Zelda game ("Tears of the Kingdom," May 12). What's next, a prestige streaming TV show?

A: You're hitting on something which is really important. This is a milestone, what you're seeing here with Super Nintendo World. Universal Studios is a great partner to allow us to do Super Nintendo World. I won't comment on your question regarding a streaming show. But it really is a reflection on this ability to share our IP with people well outside of the video game space.

Q: The new attraction I was able to see today is really impressive. Could there ever be an entire theme park build around Nintendo characters, like Disneyland?

A: Well, we've got a great partner with Universal Studios. I think we have packed a lot of exciting and fun stuff. Even with the size of the park here, you can spend hours just exploring, finding little Easter eggs, little treasures. If you load the app on your phone you can actually keep score, it's very much like being in a video game, with the ability to play in a linear way but then also wander around and explore.

Q: Would you say video games are now the dominant force in entertainment?