Nintendo announced a deal with Embracer Group to acquire Florida-based team Shiver Entertainment.
Shiver, responsible for developing Mortal Kombat 1 and Hogwarts Legacy for the Switch, will soon be acquired by Nintendo through a newly announced deal. Nintendo said in a public statement that the deal includes ownership of 100% of Shiver’s outstanding shares and plans to make it a “wholly owned subsidiary.” The most important goal is to “secure a high level of resources for porting and development of software titles.”
Going forward, Shiver’s focus will “remain the same” following the acquisition. That means it’s focused on porting and developing software for “multiple platforms,” including Nintendo’s Switch console. This suggests that Nintendo has no plans to turn Shiver into a Switch-only focused studio to maintain a diverse focus moving forward.
In a brief footnote, Nintendo noted that the acquisition will have only a minor impact on Nintendo’s results for this fiscal year.” This comes after Nintendo recently released its latest financial earnings report, revealing, among other things, the opening date of the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto.
What is Shiver Entertainment?
Founded in 2012 by John Schappert, Jason Andersen, and Jon Osvald, the studio has earned a reputation for porting and developing video game software, influencing major franchises such as Scribblenauts, Need for Speed, Guitar Hero, and FIFA.
It was previously acquired by Embracer Group in December 2021 and will now be acquired by Nintendo in this industry acquisition. This comes after Embracer embarked on a number of downsizing measures, including laying off several teams, to streamline operations.
Shiver’s move from Nintendo certainly makes sense given his long experience developing games for the Switch. With rumors already swirling about the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio has folded after releasing two major games on the console: Mortal Kombat 1 and Hogwarts Legacy.
Featured Image: Avalanche Software
