Nintendo will acquire US game developer Shiver Entertainment from Embracer Group.
Shiver is best known for its port work, and most recently handled the Switch ports of Warner Bros’ Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1.
Nintendo says it has acquired the firm to ‘secure high-level resources for porting and developing software titles’. It adds that post-acquisition, Shiver will continue to port and develop software ‘for multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch’.
Nintendo doesn’t make too many acquisitions, certainly compared to its rivals. However, it has made some strategic moves in recent years. In 2022, it acquired long-term development partner SRD studio, and Japanese animation firm Dynamo Pictures (later renamed Nintendo Pictures). It also acquired Luigi’s Mansion developer Next Level Games in 2021.
The company has been investing heavily in expanding its development capacity due to the longer development cycles required to make modern video games. This includes a new development centre, which is set to be completed by 2028.
In the firm’s latest financial call, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa discussed the company’s approach to the expansion, and said that although acquisitions may form part of the strategy, the firm’s focus is on building up its internal resources and maintaining its relationships with existing third-party dev partners.
“We have continuously expanded our development resources over the past several years through the recruitment of recent graduates and mid-career hires,” he said.
“We will continue to actively work to secure the necessary development resources to increase the long-term value of our IP and to constantly offer unique entertainment proposals. Although development resources could be expanded through M&A, first we will work within the company with our developers, who thoroughly understand and have built up the Nintendo brand over the years, to have them nurture talent who can drive Nintendo’s future development. In addition, many of our external development partners have gained a deep understanding of Nintendo’s way of thinking and game development methods over the many years of collaboration, and we would like to further strengthen our ties with such partners.
“The process of game development will inevitably become longer, more complex, and more advanced. It is vital that Nintendo offers consumers new and unique experiences through game development, so we will actively invest in expanding our development resources”
