Nintendo attractions coming to Universal Studios theme parks

Nintendo and Universal announced a partnership on Thursday that will bring beloved video game characters to theme parks around the world, immediately sparking fans' imagination about what they'll see.

A joint press release says the two companieswill create "major attractions at Universal's theme parks and will feature Nintendo's most famous characters and games."

The release didn't give any details about what the attractions might look like,"as the Nintendo and Universal creative teams work to create specific concepts." So it's possible the concepts or projects are in the early stages of development.

The news comes after Nintendo announced its first operating profit in four years, earning 24.8 billion yen ($250 million) compared with a loss of $472 million last year. It also announced in April that hardware sales rose 60 per cent in the last year, including a bump for its lagging Wii U console thanks to well-received games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros.

Nintendo in uncharted territory

It's the latest example of the 125-year-old Nintendobranching out of its safe space developing video games and gaming hardware. The Japan-based company has historically been extremely conservative about working with other companies on projects that use its characters and intellectual properties.

In March, Nintendo announced a partnership with mobile game developer DeNA, which will develop mobile games for the Asian market using Nintendo IPs a departure from its traditional handheld gaming repertoire currently headlined by the 3DS.

It's also enjoyed success with its Amiibo, figures of Nintendo characters that unlock special features in their corresponding games. The company has struggled to keep many of its figures on the shelves as collectors scramble to acquire them, with the rarest figures going for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay.

Gaming fans expressedexcitement at the news of possibly visiting a life-sized version of Mario's Mushroom Kingdom, Pokemon'sCerulean City or Zelda'sHyrule. Othersdreamedup what kind of theme park rides and attractions might come out of this with the hashtag #NintendoThemeParkIdeas.