Nintendo has acquired Kyoto-based developer SRD Co. Ltd.
Earlier today on February 24, Nintendo announced through a statement that it had agreed to buy SRD. If you’re unfamiliar with the development studio, they’ve been long-time collaborators with Nintendo on a litany of projects, including Game Builder Garage and Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch.
Given the proximity to Nintendo’s Kyoto-based HQ, and the fact that SRD has worked with Nintendo’s internal developers on a large number of projects, the acquisition makes perfect sense. It’s likely that very little will change between the two companies going forward, as SRD has exclusively worked with Nintendo over the years anyway.
This is hardly an acquisition on the levels of Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, or Sony purchasing Bungie, but that was never going to be the case for Nintendo. Over the past two years or so, as Microsoft and others have made significant moves to consolidate the video game industry landscape, Nintendo hasn’t appeared eager to enter the acquisition race.
Looking to Nintendo’s immediate future, it’s set to be a big year for the company, acquisitions or no. We’ve got the likes of Kirby and the Forgotten Land pencilled in for next month, along with third-party exclusive releases like Triangle Strategy. Further off in the distance, the likes of the Breath of the Wild sequel and Splatoon 3 are eagerly anticipated by millions of fans worldwide.
Check out our full guide to all the upcoming Switch games to see how the rest of the year is shaking out for Nintendo.