This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

Nintendo have made their first big move of the year, moving to acquire Next Level Games.

The Canadian developer based in Vancouver has enjoyed a close relationship with Nintendo in recent years, having most recently worked on the critically acclaimed Luigi’s Mansion 3 on Switch, though their relationship also includes the Wii revival of Punch Out!! and the Super Mario Strikers games alongside Metroid Prime Federation Force.

Nintendo state that the acquisition will:

“secure the availability of NLG development resources for Nintendo, including development expertise, as well as facilitate an anticipated improvement in development speed and quality by enabling closer communication and exchange of staff with the Nintendo development team.”

The deal is expected to go through by 1 March this year, assuming everything gets signed off by the relevant individuals and regulatory bodies.

Do you think this is a smart move from Nintendo? Let us know down in the comments.

Source: Nintendo