Nintendo acquires Shiver Entertainment to help with future Switch 2 ports
The Japanese company has made a rare studio acquisition that help with Nintendo Switch 2 ports
💰 Nintendo has snapped up a new studio
🤝 It’s acquired Shiver Entertainment, which has ported games to Switch in the past
🤔 Nintendo acquired Shiver to “secure high-level resources for porting and developing software titles”
👀 The move comes ahead of the Switch 2’s release next year
Microsoft and Sony have parted ways with billions of dollars to secure the likes of Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and Bungie, but we rarely see Nintendo splashing the cash. However, the Japanese company has “entered into an agreement with Embracer Group” to acquire the Miami, Florida-based developer Shiver Entertainment.
Shiver Entertainment isn’t exactly a household name, but they have worked with Nintendo in the past to help port games like Mortal Kombat 1 and Hogwarts Legacy to the Switch.
In an official statement, the Kyoto-based company said: “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. The Acquisition will be completed pending satisfaction of all relevant customary closing conditions.”
Judging by Nintendo’s statement, it seems like Shiver will continue to port games to other platforms when necessary, but the acquisition seems to have been made in preparation for the Nintendo Switch 2, which is expected to launch in March 2025.
Nintendo will want to ensure it maintains a strong level of third-party support for its next-generation console, so having a studio that can help facilitate developers to bring their games to Switch 2 is beneficial.
We saw plenty of impossible ports for the Nintendo Switch, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Doom Eternal, Dying Light, and No Man’s Sky.
Nintendo hasn’t shared how much the acquisition of Shiver Entertainment will cost, but it said it will have a “minor effect” on the company’s results for the current fiscal year. Expect Shiver Entertainment to have cost Nintendo millions as opposed to billions, then, but it could be a shrewd acquisition.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.