Nintendo Acquires Hogwarts Legacy Port Studio From Embracer Group
Nintendo announced today that it's acquiring Shiver Entertainment, the company behind the Nintendo Switch ports of Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat 1, and more.
The company said in a press release that it's entered an agreement with Embracer to buy 100% of the outstanding shares of the Miami-based Shiver, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Shiver was founded in 2012 and since then, Nintendo notes, "has partnered with publishers and developers through commissions for large scale title developments." It was acquired by Embracer Group in 2021.
"By welcoming Shiver’s experienced and accomplished development team, Nintendo aims to secure high-level resources for porting and developing software titles," the announcement reads. "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."
The announcement comes a couple of weeks after Nintendo confirmed that it'll reveal its Switch successor console "within this fiscal year" - so, sometime before March 31, 2025. There's no mention of the Switch successor (what's largely been referred to as the Switch 2) in today's announcement, but it's still a potentially telling announcement as Nintendo gears up to unveil its future plans.
As mentioned, Shiver's known for ports like Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat 11, and Mortal Kombat 1, as well as developing Scribblenauts Showdown. Some of its ports, like Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 11, have gone over well enough, although its Mortal Kombat 1 port was widely criticized.
Financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement, but Nintendo noted that the acquisition "will have only a minor effect on Nintendo’s results for this fiscal year."
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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