{"id":350026,"date":"2026-07-23T16:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/350026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:16:09","slug":"rumors-swirl-on-new-universal-orlando-ride-after-theme-park-files-for-a-new-permit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/350026\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumors swirl on new Universal Orlando ride after theme park files for a new permit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Industry experts and enthusiasts are speculating that Universal Orlando<\/a> could expand its lineup of video game<\/a>-themed attractions after filing a permit for a new Islands of Adventure attraction.<\/p>\n

While the filing provides few details, it names UK-based theme park attraction specialist Garmendale Engineering as the contractor, Fox 35 Orlando<\/a> reports. The potential project comes as Universal Orlando continues expanding its lineup of immersive experiences following the May 2025 opening<\/a> of its $6 billion Epic Universe<\/a> park, which features The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe.<\/p>\n

“We can see from the permit is that it’s going to be expiring sometime next year. It’s going to be working with a company that’s based out of the U.K. And it does say that there’s going to be equipment installed,” Tharin White, lead publisher at EYNTK.info<\/a>, a theme park and tourism news brand, told the outlet.<\/p>\n

Garmendale Engineering’s Omnimover-style ride systems have fueled speculation that the project could be a Pok\u00e9mon attraction inspired by the Pok\u00e9mon Snap video game series. The Omnimover system uses a continuous chain of vehicles moving along a hidden track at a steady speed to create a seamless ride.<\/p>\n

“There are a couple of examples of other attractions that this manufacturer has done. And that has kind of been what’s led folks to theorize that this might be what would be called a Pok\u00e9mon Snap experience,” Dani Meyering, managing editor at Attractions Magazine<\/a>, told Fox 35 Orlando.<\/p>\n

\"Universal<\/p>\n

Universal Orlando fans are theorizing that a Pok\u00e9mon or Zelda attraction could be coming to the park after a newly filed permit sparked rumors of a new project (Getty Images\/iStock)<\/p>\n

“Universal Destinations and Experiences has confirmed that they are adding Pok\u00e9mon attractions to their parks<\/a> globally, essentially, all of their kind of keystone parks will be receiving Pok\u00e9mon attractions,” Meyering added.<\/p>\n

However, experts say a Legend of Zelda<\/a>-themed attraction is also still a possibility, especially after the demolition of the Lost Continent area created room for future development.<\/p>\n

“They’re very confident for a property that’s going to take over the entirety of that land,” White said. “They’ve had contracts with Nintendo for a long time. They already have Pok\u00e9mon at Universal Studios Japan, and we don’t know if that’s what it’s going to be. But I do think that whatever they’re going to have there, it’s going to be pretty fantastical.”<\/p>\n

White said Universal is continuing to ramp up investment in new attractions as it competes with Central Florida rivals, including Disney World and SeaWorld.<\/p>\n

“Universal is in an area right now where they are working very quickly, and they’re building a ton of stuff,” White said. “So as we keep seeing these permits, it’s just kind of adding on to the storyline of we know they’re building, we see the rumors, and we’re just waiting for that exact confirmation.”<\/p>\n

The Independent has contacted Universal for comment.<\/p>\n

While details about the new Islands of Adventure attraction remain a mystery, Universal recently revealed that Fortnite is coming to Halloween Horror Nights. The video game’s popular Fortnitemares event will be brought to life as a new scare zone at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, featuring themed areas where guests can encounter roaming scare actors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Industry experts and enthusiasts are speculating that Universal Orlando could expand its lineup of video game-themed attractions after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3919,143252,139,141,140,3434],"class_list":["post-350026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-fox-35-orlando","tag-garmendale-engineering","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-universal-orlando"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}