Nintendo agrees deal to buy Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat Switch studio | VGC

This article was updated at 8am BST to correctly state that Nintendo’s last acquisition was Dynamo Pictures, and not Next Level Games.

Nintendo is set to fully acquire Miami-based Shiver Entertainment, the studio responsible for multiple high-profile Nintendo Switch ports.

Nintendo announced on Monday that it’s entered into an agreement with Shiver’s current owner Embracer Group AB to acquire 100% of the company’s outstanding shares and make it a wholly owned subsidiary.

Since its establishment in 2012, Shiver has worked on porting and developing software such as Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1 to Nintendo Switch.

“By welcoming Shiver’s experienced and accomplished development team, Nintendo aims to secure high-level resources for porting and developing software titles,” it said in a statement.

“Going forward, even after it becomes a part of the Nintendo group, Shiver’s focuswill remain the same, continuing commissions that port and develop software for multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch.”

The buyout represents Nintendo’s first acquisition since the 2022 purchases of Dynamo Pictures (now Nintendo Pictures) and SRD.

Before that, the company’s last acquisition was Next Level Games in 2021, and Monolith Soft (Xenoblade) in 2007.

Shiver joins Next Level, the developer of Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Retro Studios, developer of Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, in Nintendo’s roster of North American studios.