Epic Universe is a new theme park that was announced in August 2019 but began construction in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be located about 15 minutes from the rest of the Universal Studios attractions, such as Islands of Adventure, CityWalk, and the first six hotels (Royal Pacific Resort, Sapphire Falls Resort, etc). The newly acquired land for Epic Universe is approximately 750 acres according to Universal.

“Epic is full steam ahead. I was down there a couple of weeks ago. And the construction is going really well. And I think we said this in the past, but we expect that park to open in ’25 and certainly in time for the summer of ’25 and we’ll be back to you and everybody when we get more granular on the date,” said Comcast CFO Michael Cavanagh during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

Epic Universe will be the first Universal Park with a more ‘traditional’ layout, mirroring many older Disneyland Park themes that were popularized in 1955. A central hub will be placed in the center of the park, with the park’s various lands radiating from it.

In the 1990s, Epic Universe was previously purchased by Universal but was sold off due to a vast amount of financial and corporate reasons, which resulted in the project being lost until now. Construction has been wavering since its pause in July of 2020, picking back up around March 2021. Universal adjusted its plans in the midst of the pandemic, and the restart and resuming of construction had begun immediately.

According to an announcement released by Universal, “Epic Universe will offer an entirely new level of experience that will forever change theme park entertainment. Guests will venture beyond their wildest imagination, traveling into beloved stories and through vibrant lands on adventures where the journey is as astounding as the ultimate destination.”