For a good while now we started to see development teams get picked up and purchased by other companies. Mainly Microsoft seemed to be a big component in this headlining news as they seemed to have buffed up their first-party studio lineup. After all, ZeniMax Media was an outstanding play by Microsoft as it put some notable development studios under Microsoft’s umbrella included in the mix was Bethesda, who is known for Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.
While it seemed like an all-out war when it came to acquisitions, it was a bit of a surprise to see Nintendo jump in on the mix but only for one studio. It was back in January that we got word of Nintendo picking up Next Level Games, a studio that has mainly been partnered with Nintendo for years. This studio went above and beyond for Nintendo with different projects including their latest release which happened to be a big hit for Nintendo, Luigi’s Mansion 3.
Recently, the head of Nintendo, Shuntaro Furukawa, spoke to Nikkei and made note that Nintendo is not after expanding their company just to secure resources. Apparently, Nintendo at the moment doesn’t feel like it needs to go out and purchase studios and boost their first-party studio lineup. Instead, when it comes to acquisitions the thought process behind Nintendo is that there is a real need to ensure that the company could become an investment to the company.
If the company can’t add to the value of the entertainment Nintendo provides then there’s no chance we’ll see them get picked up under Nintendo’s company label. When it comes to Next Level Games, the company has proven to be a crucial asset to Nintendo and it would allow both companies to streamline content more efficiently.
Source: VGC
