Nintendo Purchases Bandai Namco Studios Singapore; Studio Renamed Nintendo Studios Singapore
Nintendo has expanded its in-house development by acquiring Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, an unusual move for the company that typically relies on internal teams. The acquisition was announced on Thursday and brings the Singapore-based studio under Nintendo’s corporate umbrella.
According to Nintendo’s statement, the studio will be rebranded as Nintendo Studios Singapore. Founded in 2013, the team is noted for its expertise in producing high-quality in-game art assets and has contributed to Nintendo projects — including the Splatoon series — while maintaining an ongoing business relationship with Nintendo. Nintendo’s announcement is available in a company press release. Read the release.
Reports indicate the Singapore studio worked on the original build of Metroid Prime 4, originally revealed in 2017, before development was reassigned to Retro Studios. Retro Studios is scheduled to deliver Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on Dec. 4. The team in Singapore reportedly includes former LucasArts Singapore developers and previously contributed to the ambitious but ultimately canceled title Star Wars 1313.
Nintendo said the purchase will strengthen the Group’s development capabilities and follows a stated strategy of acquiring development houses and converting them into subsidiaries, as noted in the company’s recent quarterly financial update. See the financial report. In recent years Nintendo has acquired Monolith Soft and Dynamo Pictures (now operating as Nintendo Pictures) to add internal capacity; Nintendo Pictures produced the animated short “Close to You” to promote the Pikmin franchise.
Nintendo has not disclosed the studio’s immediate projects. However, under its new name, Nintendo Studios Singapore is expected to play a key role in co-developing future first-party titles and supporting Nintendo’s growing development pipeline.
Source: Polygon
