Nintendo Buying Bandai Namco Studio That Co-Developed Splatoon 3, New Pokémon Snap

Nintendo has announced plans to afloat get Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, a developer it has antecedently utilized to bolster its enactment connected cardinal franchises specified arsenic Splatoon and Pokémon.

In a connection to investors, released this morning, Nintendo said it had entered into a stock transportation statement with Bandai Namco for the workplace — which it volition present rename arsenic Nintendo Studios Singapore.

Initially, Nintendo volition acquisition 80% of Bandai Namco Sinapore Studio shares connected April 1, 2026. It past plans to gobble up the remaining 20% of shares "after a definite period," Nintendo said, "once the subsidiary's operations person stabilized."

Nintendo does not typically trumpet the outer improvement studios it partners with to enactment connected its ain franchises, but video crippled credits person shown that the Singapore-based outfit has contributed to 2022's Splatoon 3, and was the pb developer down 2021's New Pokémon Snap.

Reportedly, the workplace was besides concisely tasked with moving connected Metroid Prime 4, earlier Nintendo restarted improvement astatine Retro Studios. And much generally, Bandai Namco wide has enjoyed a adjacent narration with Nintendo successful caller years, with different teams wrong the institution moving connected Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Pokkén Tournament.

It's comparatively antithetic for Nintendo to get different developers, though caller years person seen the institution get a dependable watercourse of outer teams it has built a past of collaboration with.

Nintendo Studios Singapore logo. Image credit: Nintendo.

At the commencement of 2021, Nintendo reached into its wallet for Vancouver-based Luigi's Mansion 3 shaper Next Level Games. In February 2022, Nintendo bought long-time improvement spouse SRD. And successful precocious 2024, Nintendo upped its involvement successful Xenoblade and Zelda co-developer Monolith Soft, to present 100% ain the company.

Then there's mo-cap and CGI specializer workplace Dynamo Pictures, present re-named Nintendo Pictures, which Nintendo acquired successful 2022. The institution is present focused connected making "visual contented utilizing Nintendo IP" — our archetypal glimpse of which arrived past period successful the signifier of a astonishment Pikmin abbreviated film.

As for Bandai Namco Studios Singapore — oregon rather, Nintendo Studios Singapore — it's chartless what the institution is moving connected now. But it's a just stake its squad whitethorn beryllium assisting improvement connected Splatoon erstwhile again, with the upcoming mysterious Splatoon: Raiders present announced for Switch 2.

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Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social