Nintendo not ruling out future acquisitions but still favours organic expansion to maintain "creative culture"
A bit of Mari-know how.
Nintendo has shed further insight on its approach to mergers and acquisitions.
In today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, Nintendo stated that while it would "not rule out the possibility of further mergers and acquisitions", its current "priority is to organically expand the organisation". This is so "new staff members are able to fully learn and understand our creative culture" at Nintendo.
The Mario maker seldom partakes in acquisitions, only making a handful in recent years. In May, the company acquired Shiver Entertainment from Embracer. Shiver is a studio responsible for porting the likes of Mortal Kombat 1 and Hogwarts Legacy onto Nintendo Switch.
This particular deal marked Nintedo's first acquisition since 2022, when it purchased Dynamo Pictures (which subsequently became Nintendo Pictures) and SRD. In 2021, meanwhile, Nintendo purchased Next Level Games, the studio behind Luigi's Mansion 3.
That same year, Nintendo said any acquisitions it makes would be determined by the company's need to keep pace with "rapidly advancing technological innovation". The following year, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated: "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."
Then, last year, Furukawa explained Nintendo does not "reject the use of M&A (mergers and acquisitions)", adding "if an organisation that does not understand Nintendo's creative approach is brought into the fold, it may not produce the expected results".
Furukawa closed: "On the other hand, for companies with a similar development approach, we can form various partnerships with them, not limited to M&A."
Earlier today, Nintendo confirmed its Switch successor will be backward compatible with Switch games, adding that Nintendo Switch is now played by over 100 million people worldwide, with that number covering every age range from children to seniors.