A new Nintendo subsidiary has emerged in the form of Nintendo Pictures. We all should have had a feeling that something like this was incoming following the announcement of the Super Mario Bros. movie featuring Chris Pratt was announced, but now, with the reveal of this new arm of Nintendo, it’s clear that the film won’t be a one-off; just like PlayStation, it seems Nintendo is now keen to fully explore what its IP can do in other forms of entertainment.
While no official announcement has yet occurred, the news has been picked up on because of the fact that a website for the subsidiary has gone live. What was announced though, and slipped under the radars of many was an acquisition that Nintendo made in July. At that time the company picked up a CG company called Dynamo Pictures, and the deal was due to close on October 3, 2022, so it should perhaps be no surprise to anyone that all of a sudden, this website launched. Dynamo Pictures have become Nintendo Pictures, and they will be taking their more than 100 staff and putting them to work.
The website highlights the company’s mission statement of sorts saying,
We aim to have consumers around the world learn about Nintendo characters through video, and to create unique videos that will remain in their memories forever.
To that end, each and every one of our employees will always think about what our customers around the world will find interesting, and we will work hard to create an organization that can continue to grow by engaging in video production with interest.
We will continue to challenge ourselves to continue providing unique and surprising images to customers around the world, transcending generations and eras.
The website informs us that within a month the company intends to go on something of a recruiting spree with the website also reading “Applications for career recruitment are scheduled to start in November. If you can register your email address below, we will contact you when the application starts.” As the message implies there is then an available space for any interested parties to submit their expression of interest.
Where Nintendo intends to apply this studio remains unclear. They may lend their services to the Super Mario Bros. movie, but Nintendo has an enormous library of IP to explore, from The Legend Of Zelda, to Metroid, and even more recent franchises like Xenoblade Chronicles. In the past we’ve seen short films developed based upon the Pikmin IP, and with the talent they’ve acquired there is no reason why they cannot engage this space further as well as platforms like film and television as many will assume they will go first.
A new teaser is supposed to be revealed for the Super Mario Bros. movie this week, so perhaps we’ll learn more with that.
