When it comes to video game development, secrecy is something that is paramount on multiple levels. After all, we live in an age where just about everything is talked about all the time, and that means that anyone and everyone can leak something if they want to or are “incentivized” enough. And Nintendo has had to deal with leaks of all kinds over the years. Plus, their secrecy about the upcoming Nintendo Switch successor has led to all kinds of “reports” coming out. But even during the development of Luigi’s Mansion 2, The Big N wanted to ensure that no one talked about the game or the system it would be on.
If you don’t recall, Luigi’s Mansion 2 was developed by Next Level Games, and in a new episode of “Did You Know Gaming?”, one of the artists behind the title revealed that Nintendo had the team flown out to Japan to find out that they weren’t making the game for the Nintendo DS, but for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS. Even noting that they had to sign NDAs in great numbers and even had to work in a “secret room” without any windows.
A bit much? Probably. One thing that needs to be said is that Next Level Games wasn’t owned by Nintendo until 2021, and so back then, they might not have had the trust in them that they have now. Plus, they were getting ready to unveil their 3DS system at E3, so they wanted to “lock everything down” so that nothing got spoiled before its big release.
The irony of all of this is that the game wasn’t leaked to our knowledge, and while it was one of the key games for the Nintendo 3DS, it’s the least loved of the trilogy. Yes, it sold many millions of copies on the 3DS, but many gamers felt it didn’t have the same “charm” or stylings as the original Gamecube title. But when the third game, which Next Level Games developed for the Nintendo Switch, came out, everything was right with the world.
Speaking of which, an HD version of the second game is coming out this year for the Nintendo Switch. It’s one of many Mario-themed titles that will help “send off” the Nintendo Switch before its successor arrives. A successor that we know precious little about due to how secretive Nintendo is being, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
