nintendo Bandai Namco has signed a deal to buy all shares in the Bandai Namco Singapore development studio, putting it in Nintendo's hands until spring 2026. Nintendo and Bandai Namco have a long history of collaboration with each other, and this business deal will open up new possibilities for the future of Switch 2.
Bandai Namco's Singapore-based division was established in 2013 to accelerate game development in Asia, while a Vancouver-based branch was also established to cover western markets. Some of our biggest sales successes to date have been: splatoon 3was developed in collaboration with Nintendo EPD and was released exclusively for Nintendo Switch in September 2022. The Singapore studio has also led exclusive development on late-stage entries in several popular series. soul calibur 6, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknownand Taiko no Tatsujin: VR Festival Below the belt.
Nintendo reminds fans about 10 big games for the Switch console.
Nintendo highlights 10 upcoming games. Some are for the original Switch and others are for Switch 2.
Game developed by Bandai Namco Singapore
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Splatoon 3 (includes Nintendo EPD)
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soul calibur 6
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Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
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Taiko no Tatsujin: VR Festival
Nintendo officially announced that it will acquire a majority stake in Bandai Namco Singapore early next year. According to a press release, 80% of the studio's shares will become Nintendo's property on April 1, 2026, with the remaining 20% scheduled to transfer under Nintendo's control at an unspecified date after the studio is given time to stabilize. The acquisition of the studio, which will be renamed Nintendo Studios Singapore, is expected to have only a “minor impact” on Nintendo's finances during the current financial year, but it opens up a lot of possibilities for the future, especially considering regular updates have ended. splatoon 3 It's been over a year since it was announced.
Compared to rival console developers Sony and Microsoft, Nintedo has not been very active in the business of acquiring new development studios. Sony has more than 20 first-party development studios, notably adding Bungie and Firewalk Studios to the list in 2023 and Kadokawa Corporation in 2024. Likewise, the Xbox brand has also been growing in recent years, most notably its $75.4 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was completed in 2023 and resulted in a massive franchise following. call of duty, warcraftand diablo Under that banner.
Meanwhile, one of Nintendo's last big picks was in May 2024. This follows a deal with Embracer Group to acquire Shiver Entertainment, a company best known for porting games such as: hogwarts legacy, Mortal Kombat 1and guitar heroesTransition to a new platform. Later that year, Nintendo was fully acquired. Xenoblade Chronicles Developer Monolift Soft has already owned a 96% stake in the company since 2011, but Nintendo's other game-based acquisitions this decade include SRD, a company that has helped create Nintendo since the NES era, and Next Level Games, the game's primary developer. Luigi's Mansion 3majority mario strikers stratagem, Metroid Prime: Federation ForceAnd in 2009 punch out For Wii. Additionally, Nintendo acquired the animation studio formerly known as Dynamo Pictures in 2022, giving it credits in games, animation, and short films. death stranding 2 Through motion capture work
The business deal between Nintendo and Bandai Namco could be a sign that Nintendo is ready to jump into the stacked competition presented by other first-party developers. While the Switch 2 outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series With recent success Donkey Kong BananzaMany fans' thoughts went back to Rare's glory days. donkey kong country The SNES and N64 series and the establishment of Nintendo Studios Singapore splatoon A similar future franchise.