The most recent Nintendo Direct saw the announcement of Mario & Luigi: Brothership, a new entry in the long-running RPG series. Over the last few years, Nintendo has made a habit of keeping developers on its games a secret, and Brothership is no exception. However, it’s a much bigger mystery this time, as the previous developer on the series was AlphaDream, which closed back in 2019. There’s no way of knowing exactly which team is responsible for the new game, but one fan might have successfully deduced the developer. According to the content creator Lizardy, it might be ILCA, the studio behind Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While ILCA might seem like an unusual pick, there’s a logical reason that Lizardy believes it to be the case; after AlphaDream shut its doors, at least 10 of the company’s employees landed over at ILCA. Since Nintendo previously confirmed that Mario & Luigi: Brothership is being handled by some of the original developers on the series, it stands to reason ILCA could be at the helm.
As with any rumor, readers are advised to take this one with a grain of salt. However, it’s worth noting that Lizardy has a deep knowledge about things relating to the Mario & Luigi RPG series, as well as AlphaDream in general. Their YouTube channel features a lot of videos about the series, including an interview with former AlphaDream main programmer Masashi Haraki. Basically, Lizardy has a passion for this series, and seems to know it a lot better than most people.
News of ILCA’s potential involvement in the game has led to some concern from Mario & Luigi fans. While critical reception to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl was mostly positive, a lot of fans felt that the remake was simply too faithful to what had come before. As Lizardy points out, issues with the scope of the project might have more to do with The Pokemon Company, and ILCA has shown its talents since then, working on games like the mostly well-received Sand Land.
There’s every reason to believe that we won’t know Mario & Luigi: Brothership‘s developer until after the game’s launch date, which will take place on November 7th. Until then, Nintendo fans will have to speculate, but ILCA seems like as good a guess as any!
Do you plan on checking out Mario & Luigi: Brothership? Who do you think is developing the game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Gaming Leaks and Rumors]
