Nintendo has announced its intention to acquire long-time Japanese programming support studio SRD Co.
The acquisition news was announced through an official notification earlier today. “The acquisition will serve to strengthen the management and secure availability of software development resources for Nintendo, in addition to facilitating an anticipated improvement in software development efficiency”, Nintendo writes.
The deal is expected to close on April 1st and will make SRD an official Nintendo subsidiary.
For those unaware, SRD has been working exclusively with Nintendo for almost 40 years. The programming support studio provides support on Nintendo’s 1st party titles, and although there hasn’t been an official capital relationship between both parties, SRD’s Kyoto-based office is inside Nintendo’s Development Center. Ever since 1983, SRD has been helping Nintendo out with numerous titles, including the Donkey Kong, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Zelda franchises.
In a similar fashion deal – last year, Nintendo purchased long-time partner Next Level Games; the studio behind Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Metroid Prime: Federation Force.
Earlier this month, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa commented on Microsoft’s and Sony’s acquisition battle, stating that his company won’t be joining this race as it wouldn’t be a “plus” to Nintendo.
“Our brand was built upon products crafted with dedication by our employees, and having a large number of people who don’t possess Nintendo DNA in our group would not be a plus to the company”, Furukawa said.
