It’s super interesting that Nintendo is acquiring the studio that ported Hogwarts Legacy

In a move that took literally everyone by surprise, Nintendo has made a studio acquisition. In a rare move, the company bought Shiver Entertainment, a Miami-based port specialist, from controversial Swedish conglomerate Embracer Group.

Notably, Shiver is the studio that somehow managed to deliver both Mortal Kombat 1 And Hogwarts legacy to the Nintendo Switch in 2023. Considering the enormous power gap between the Switch and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, this was no easy task, and the results left a lot to be desired. But just getting complete and functional versions of these games up and running on Switch can be considered an achievement in itself.

In any case, Shiver’s work seems to have impressed Nintendo enough that it took the unusual step (for Nintendo) of tapping into its vast cash reserves and actually buying something. (Nintendo actually the richest company in Japan, with money in the bank, perhaps precisely because it never spends on itself. Historically, the company has been completely uninterested in late capitalism’s obsession with growth above all else, preferring good, old-fashioned profits (and Scrooge McDuck-style piles of cash).

Nintendo’s press release makes it clear that Shiver’s port expertise is why it bought the studio. It specifically evokes Shiver’s work Mortal Kombat 1 And Hogwarts legacynotes the studio’s “high-level resources for porting and developing software titles” and says that after the acquisition, “Shiver’s focus will remain the same, continuing with committees that port and develop software for multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch.”

But why would Nintendo be interested in acquiring an external, on-hire port specialist in the first place? There are many studios that specialize in this kind of thing, but they are rarely acquired by platform holders like Nintendo. When this does happen, it’s more likely to be a studio making shiny, enhanced remasters of older games – like Bluepoint Games, which was acquired by Sony in 2021 – than an outfit that specializes in the less glamorous work of wrestling with the latest releases. less powerful hardware.

The most obvious conclusion is that when it comes to the Switch 2, Nintendo is serious about closing the gap in software libraries between its hybrid handheld and the current generation of home consoles and PCs. It wants AAA games to launch on its next console, and to that end it has taken the unprecedented step of bringing porting expertise in-house so it can offer the service itself to third-party publishers. It will likely find a ready market; For example, Square Enix recently stated that it wants to bring its biggest games to as many platforms as possible, including Nintendo’s.

Shiver has particular experience with Unreal Engine titles, and Nintendo has reportedly demonstrated to its partners the Switch 2’s ability to showcase Unreal Engine 5. And while the Switch 2 will certainly be less powerful than PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series

There is one last question. Why does Nintendo mention that, “even after it becomes part of the Nintendo Group,” Shiver will continue to work on porting games to “multiple platforms”? This is most likely a veiled reference to the Switch 2 – which Nintendo hasn’t mentioned, despite recently admitting it exists. But it could also be that Nintendo is happy to let Shiver continue working on other systems, partly so it can learn more about them and expand its porting expertise.

Either way, it’s a fascinating development and an indication that Nintendo is getting ready to step out of its bubble a little further and reintegrate with the rest of the gaming industry with the Switch 2.