Nintendo Acquires Studio Behind Hogwarts Legacy Switch Port

Nintendo announced that it has purchased Shiver Entertainment.

By Marc Deschamps

Over the last year, Embracer Group has sold off or closed a number of studios. After spending several years buying up development teams, the company has been trying to cut costs and reduce its debt. Embracer has now parted ways with Shiver Entertainment, which has been purchased by Nintendo. While the development team might not sound familiar to a lot of people, Shiver has previously handled the Nintendo Switch ports of major third-party games, including Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1. In a statement announcing the acquisition, Nintendo revealed that the studio's role won't be changing. 

"Nintendo will acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Shiver and make it a wholly owned subsidiary. By welcoming Shiver's experienced and accomplished development team, Nintendo aims to secure high-level resources for porting and developing software titles. Going forward, even after it becomes a part of the Nintendo group, Shiver's focus will remain the same, continuing commissions that port and develop software for multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch."

Why Would Nintendo Buy Shiver?

On the surface, the decision to acquire Shiver might seem like a strange move for Nintendo, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The Switch version of Hogwarts Legacy was fairly well-received, and while Mortal Kombat 1 did not receive the same level of praise, the game has gotten a number of patches and updates that seem to have greatly improved it over the version that launched last fall. However, it's worth noting that both of these games first released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, two systems that are both newer and significantly more powerful than Switch. Shiver clearly already has a lot of technical familiarity with the Switch hardware, and that should increase once it becomes a Nintendo subsidiary.

Nintendo Switch has a massive library of games, including both first-party exclusives and third-party releases. However, one of the biggest weaknesses of past Nintendo systems like N64 and Wii U is that those platforms did not have good third-party support; instead, publishers focused on supporting PlayStation and Xbox. Having an experienced studio dedicated solely to porting over games that otherwise might not be released on Switch (or the upcoming Switch successor) could be a smart decision. 

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A Rare Move for Nintendo

Unlike PlayStation and Xbox, Nintendo doesn't often purchase outside developers; we're never going to see Nintendo purchase a company on the scale of Activision Blizzard. But when Nintendo does acquire a team, it's usually one they already have positive experience working with, such as Next Level Games or SRD Co. Ltd. Hopefully the acquisition will prove beneficial for those that own a Nintendo Switch, or are planning to buy the company's next system. 

Do you think this was a smart acquisition for Nintendo? Do you think it will help Switch get more big games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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