HISTORICAL UPDATE (March 2026): This article was originally published on November 25, 2022, when Universal Orlando first announced the Epic Universe expansion. What was once speculation and anticipation has now become reality. Epic Universe officially opened on May 22, 2025. This article has been preserved as a historical record of the announcement, with updates on what actually came to fruition.
After years of speculation and rumors, Universal Parks & Resorts officially announced on November 25, 2022, that they were expanding the Universal Orlando Resort with Universal’s Epic Universe.
The new location features a theme park, an entertainment center, hotels, shops, restaurants and more.
“Our new park represents the single-largest investment Comcast NBCUniversal has made in its theme park business and in Florida overall,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Corporation. “It reflects the tremendous excitement we have for the future of our theme park business and for our entire company’s future in Florida.”
The announcement was made at the Orange County Convention Center, which is located close to the new expansion land. Comcast and Universal executives were on hand to make the “epic” announcement in front of select members of the media and invited guests.
With close to 570 acres of land, Universal’s Epic Universe expansion is roughly the same size of their current Resort property. Since acquiring the property, which is located just south of the original Universal Orlando resort, many had speculated that Universal was looking to expand their resort. Coincidentally, most of the land was originally owned by Universal in the ’90s during their original expansion to the Resort – which included the construction of CityWalk and Islands of Adventure. The land was eventually sold off in the early 2000s by then-owner, Vivendi, after the resort experienced financial issues.
What Was Speculated vs. What Actually Opened
At the time of the announcement, Universal shared that the theme park was “expected to feature Super Nintendo World and DreamWorks properties.” Here’s what actually opened on May 22, 2025:
CONFIRMED LANDS (Now Open):
- Super Nintendo World – Featuring Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Donkey Kong Country with Mine-Cart Madness, and immersive Nintendo theming
- How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk – The DreamWorks property featuring Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and The Untrainable Dragon show
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic – Featuring Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
- Dark Universe – Based on Universal Monsters with Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
- Celestial Park – The central hub with Constellation Carousel, Starfall Racers, and Atlantic Restaurant
Universal Orlando employed 25,000 people at the time of the announcement and hired an additional 14,000 team members as part of Epic Universe, including professional, technical, culinary, and other specialized positions. The company contributed more than $302 million in annual state and local taxes at the time – a number that has nearly doubled now that the new theme park is open.
“The investment Universal is making in our community and the benefit all of us will see is substantial,” said Mayor Demings at the announcement. “This will benefit nearly every segment of our economy – from tourism to high-tech.”
Mayor Demings also spotlighted Universal’s role in the Kirkman Road extension. This was a 50/50 public-private partnership in which Universal invested $160 million to extend Kirkman into the area where the new park is now located.
“The Kirkman extension will improve transportation through a busy and growing portion of our county and open up the entire area for additional development – including an important expansion of our Convention Center,” he said.
Epic Universe Today
Epic Universe officially opened to the public on May 22, 2025, and has since been named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places. The park has expanded Universal Orlando Resort from three to four theme parks, significantly strengthening Orlando’s position as a global theme park capital.
The park uses a hub-and-spoke layout, with the five themed lands branching off the central Celestial Park hub, each accessed through dramatic portal gateways that separate the outside world from carefully crafted fantasy
