What Are Nintendo Working On… A Look At Their Studios
Nintendo had another fairly busy year in 2024, they released 12 games across the year, 13 if you include the offline version of Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, but they also came out ahead with 8 original titles released in the year.
They also bought Shiver Entertainment from Embracer, this was their first buy in 2 years, with Dynamo Pictures being the last in 2022, or 3 years if you only want to count gaming studios. For that it was Next Level Games in 2021. Nintendo are also one of only a few companies to not lay folks off en masse, in fact they are the only studio to have gone the other way, with their buying of Shiver Entertainment. So that means we can include this part:
Studios acquired:
Shiver Entertainment
These are all the games that Nintendo published in 2024, the titles that have been bolded were original releases:
Another Code: Recollection
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Endless Ocean Luminous
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer - Worldwide, excluding Japan
NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Locations: Minami Ward, Kyoto | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Last Game Released: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | Series: Super Mario series, Legend of Zelda series and many more
We broke down this group last year, but they are the main arm of Nintendo’s video game efforts, at least for software. They actually had a fairly decent 2024, working on three games, but after the 2023 efforts of Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4 and Mario Wonder, last year was always going to feel a bit less. The group still managed to produce some big games, the biggest one being The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but the bulk of the work was done by Grezzo, more on them below, so what else could they be doing?
Their 2025 efforts are going to be a lot more challenging to work out, if only because they have a new console coming out, or at least revealed. Because of that, there is a chance that their games could release on Switch, Switch 2, or even both. So we know that Nintendo has at least three games coming out in 2025, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is out this month, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is out in March and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is dated for 2025. But all three of those games are being handled by other studios, Forever Entertainment, Monolith Soft and Retro Studios, so what about the main group. There are a lot of possibilities with this group, so we are breaking them down again:
Production Group No. 2 - Oversees Kirby, Xenoblade Chronicles and Fire Emblem series
Both new Kirby and Fire Emblem are likely in 2025 as it has been a few years since we saw either series. We are getting an update Xenoblade release already, so I doubt another game is coming from that series.
Production Group No. 3 - Develops mainline entries for The Legend of Zelda
Tears of the Kingdom is not even 2 years old at this point and the studio tends to take around 5 years between new games, so we might get a tease this year of something, but that would be it. We did of course get Echoes of Wisdom last year as well, which doubles down on why they would be quiet.
Production Group No. 4 - Known as their experimental/smaller titles studio, ie: Nintendo Switch Sports and Labo
We are coming up on the 3rd anniversary of Nintendo Switch Sports and while they have done some DLC, it would not surprise me to see a Switch Sports 2 release soon after the new console does.
Production Group No. 5 - Develops Splatoon and Animal Crossing games
With Splatoon 3 wrapping up its new content in 2024, this now leaves the team to work on something new, but I don’t think we will hear from them this year. Animal Crossing could get a new entry sooner rather than later, but again I would guess 2026 for that release.
Production Group No. 6 - Oversees Paper Mario, Metroid Prime and Luigi’s Mansion series
We got both Paper Mario and Luigi’s Mansion last year, they were remakes/ports of course and we are getting a new Metroid Prime this year already, which leads me to believe that beyond (hehe) that, we won’t see much from this group this year.
Production Group No. 7 - Oversees 2D Metroid titles
Metroid Dread just celebrated its 3rd anniversary last year. While there is no word on a new 2D Metroid, given Metroid Prime 4 is due out this year, I would imagine the 2D efforts will be taking an extended break. The developer of the recent pair of 2D titles, MercurySteam, is hiring for a number of positions, but who knows if that is for Metroid or their own Project Iron.
Production Group No. 8 - Develops 3D Mario titles
With Super Mario Odyssey being the last original 3D Mario game and that was in 2017, there is little doubt this group has something new to show off and like Switch, I imagine we will see it within six months of Switch 2 releasing.
Production Group No. 9 - Develops Mario Kart titles
Like above, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe release on Switch has proven to be a gold mine for Nintendo, some 64 million copies sold. The series of course got a boost in content with its Booster Course Pass, but I would like to think Mario Kart 9 or whatever it is called, will launch soon after the Switch 2, if not then by the holiday of this year.
Production Group No. 10 - Develops 2D Mario titles and Pikmin
Mario Wonder is now just over a year old and Pikmin 4 around 18 months old, so given those more ‘recent’ releases, I don’t think we hear from this group in 2025.
Nintendo European Research & Development
This group is not a developer of games, but a developer of tech. This is the group that has made the Nintendo Switch Online apps, well the Nintendo focused ones at least, but they have also worked on other things. They made the motion control for Nintendo Switch Sports work, the camera in Mario Kart Live and more.
With just a day before we were set to publish this entry in the series, a patent that was first filed back in 2023 was made public and shows how NERD have come up with a new video upscaling solution. The basic gist is that instead of being added to games, like DLSS in Cyberpunk 2077, instead works on video, meaning games, movies, tv shows, YouTube and just about anything you can imagine. The big difference is that DLSS, FSR and XeSS is that they will generate new frames, adjust lighting, improve shadows and all that sort of stuff. Nintendo’s work is more around increasing the quality of the image, without needing to have insane file sizes. For example, Black Ops 6 started at 102gb on PC at launch, but will likely blow up across 2025, most of that is higher resolution textures. This new process from Nintendo states that texture sizes could be as much as 80% smaller, meaning the Black Ops 6 release could have been just 30gb or 40gb at launch. It is going to be up to much smarter folks than me to really break down the patent, but if Nintendo have plans for it, it could be a real game changer.
NINTENDO SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
Last Game Released: Mario vs. Donkey Kong | Series: Mario vs Donkey Kong series, Metroid Prime Hunters
After have a few quiet years being a support studio for other developers, NST hit back strong in 2023 with F-Zero 99 and the content for that just keeps coming. While they did spend a lot of 2024 making content for F-Zero 99, they kicked off the year with their remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
As for 2025, the studio has a number of job openings, at least at the time of writing and they cover a range of disciplines. Environment Artist, Sound Designer and more, but as you might expect for Nintendo, none of the listings provide any hints as to what they might before, unless you think ‘stylized texture authoring for hard surface and organic subjects’ means a new 1080 Snowboarding. Given that no one expected F-Zero 99 from them, there is no telling what might be coming from them next.
MONOLITH SOFT
Locations: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | Kyoto City, Kyoto
Last Game Released: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Series: Xenoblade series, Xenosaga series, Baten Kaitos series
One of the larger studios outside of the main Nintendo branch, Monolith Soft has three teams, with one of them being assigned as a support studio for the Zelda team. Their main branch and the largest is where the Xenoblade series is created, but that does not mean the Definitive Editions are done there either, so it is a hard thing to narrow down on who is doing what.
For the main Tokyo branch, known as Team 1, if they are working on Xenoblade Chronicles X for Switch, then we will hear from them soon, but if it is the second branch (Team 2) working on that, then what is Team 1 doing. The Tokyo studio has a number of jobs open, at the time of writing and they cover everything from UI to Map designer, effects artist to HR team. With the fact that you won’t need a map designer for a remaster of a game that released 10 years ago, I would bet that Team 1 is working on something original. Team 2 is likely where the Definitive Edition is being worked upon, as they were last seen working on Tears of the Kingdom and 2 years between that release and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition release would be a good timeline. Of course, we can not forget the Kyoto branch of the studio, who are a support group for other Nintendo projects, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This group also has a few job openings going and all fall within the designer space, which leads me to believe they are continuing their support work.
Nintendo Cube
Last Game Released: Super Mario Party Jamboree | Series: Mario Party series
Nintendo Cube was formerly NDcube, but despite their name change in 2024, they still kept the party going, releasing Super Mario Party Jamboree to much acclaim. In fact that was their third Mario Party title on Switch and their fifth game, with 51 Worldwide Games and Everybody 1-2-Switch! being the others.
Given that the studio just shipped a game at the end of 2024, I would not expect to see their name this year, unless of course they decide to buck the trend and release a few DLCs for Jamboree. When the lead studio on a project, they tend to show up every 2 years, Everybody 1-2-Switch! was a co-develop effort which is why it slotted in 2023. The studio has a number of jobs they are looking to fill, like map designer, modeller and tool programmer, but nothing in the listing hints at what they could be for. But let’s be honest, as the studio makes Mario Party games and then other party games, the odds of it being something other than a party game is low.
NEXT LEVEL GAMES
Last Game Released: Mario Strikers: Battle League Football | Series: Mario Strikers series, Luigi’s Mansion series
Last year, we theorised that Next Level Games could be working on Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, but if not then we would not see their name in 2024. With local studio Tantalus Games being the developer of that port, it has left Next Level Games to work on something else, which tracks with their average 3 year release cadence of products.
IF and it is a big if, they are sticking to their 3 year schedule, then we will see something from them this year. The only bump to that would be around if the game needed a bit more time to take full advantage of Switch 2. Regardless of if the game is a 2025 or 2026 title, we have to wonder what it might be. The studio at the time of writing, has a number of job openings for a few disciplines, one of which is for a level designer. Another listing is for a technical animator that lists the ‘bringing to life Nintendo characters’. Both of those listings could be for another Mario Sports entry, or a new Luigi’s Mansion title, however I have to imagine the studio is working on something new. Either way, I would expect to see their title at the Switch 2 reveal event or around June of this year, whatever it is.
Shiver Entertainment
Last Game Released: Hogwarts Legacy | Series: Ports of other games
The newest member of the Nintendo family, Shiver Entertainment is well known to Nintendo fans they have brought both Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat 1 to Switch, along with Hogwarts Legacy. Before then they were given the keys to the Scribblenauts series by WB Games, which also had some Nintendo entries, and were fun games.
What they are doing for 2025 is harder to guess, the studio was founded by John Schappert, who also created a brand at Electronic Arts called EA Sports and also founded the studio that makes the Madden series for the company. The problem is that while Nintendo own them, the studio will keep doing things the way they have been, porting games for all platforms. It is like Bungie after PlayStation bought them, they are staying multiplatform and Shiver can do the same. The official notice from Nintendo of the buyout states:
“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“
Does that mean that they are going to bring games to Switch 2 like Cyberpunk 2077, or are they going to take jobs from Electronic Arts to help make versions of games. We do know they are cooking up a new action game, but there is just no way of knowing what it is until it is revealed.
RETRO STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | Series: Metroid Prime series, Donkey Kong Country series
This year makes it 7 years since Retro Studios released a game and 10 years since they released an original title. While their name was in the Metroid Prime Remaster from 2023, the work there was done by Iron Galaxy, but thankfully after years of waiting Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is expected to release in 2025.
The only question now is when in 2025, as we don’t have anything for it. There are rumours that it might be out in May, which is certainly possible, but I would guess that it will come down to when Switch 2 is released. I would imagine the game is going to be a cross-gen release and will launch on the same day as the console, so whenever that console is revealed and dated, that would be when we find out this release date.
1-Up Studio
Last Game Released: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Series: Mario series (development support)
This is another studio that has been fairly quiet for a while now, with their last release being the Bowser’s Fury portion of the Switch release of Super Mario 3D World. For those that don’t recall, that released in February 2021, so we are now just a few weeks shy of its fourth anniversary.
The studio has a few job openings, one of which is for a game designer where the job will have people create character designs, terrain designs and more. Now given their work within the world of Mario, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see them supporting the main 3D Mario team on whatever is next, as that is usually what they do, but creating something new would also be nice. Will we hear from them this year, I would say yes, if only because it has been a while since we have.
Second Party
Those above are all the studios that are owned by Nintendo, the following are studios not owned outright, but Nintendo either have part ownership of or a very tight working relationship with them, such as Camelot below being allowed to use Mario characters for sports games. So we will take a look at the following studios as well.
CAMELOT SOFTWARE PLANNING
Last Game Released: Mario Golf: Super Rush | Series: Mario Golf series, Mario Tennis series, Golden Sun series
I feel like we are repeating things here, but Camelot has been quiet since the 2021 release of Mario Golf: Super Rush for the Switch. Now that would not normally be an issue but like Next Level Games, they have been working to a 3 year release cadence and that should have seen a game release from them in 2024, but nothing, which again with a new Nintendo console on the way, is likely the reason why.
The only question is around what their next game will be, odds are that they will be working on some form of Mario Golf or Mario Tennis, as they seem to bounce back and forth between them. The studio is not massive, so they don’t have multiple teams working on things, which explains the usual release cadence that they have developed. While a new Mario sports title is highly likely, given how quiet so many of the main Nintendo studios have been in recent years, I would imagine that whatever they have been working on at Camelot, is not released this year, just to avoid it getting lost in the release madness.
GAME FREAK
Last Game Released: Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! | Series: Pokémon series
Having released two Pokémon games in one year, back in 2022, Game Freak has taken things a bit slower since, with 2023 seeing an enhanced version of Pocket Card Jockey shipped and then nothing from them since. We learnt in early 2024 that Pokémon Legends: Z-A would be coming in 2025 and that, as far as we know, is still the plan.
The studio has two projects in the works(that we know of), the new Pokémon title and their mysterious Project Bloom. Given that the first is due out this year and the latter in 2026, I would imagine their bevy of open jobs are for both, though likely more Pokémon right now. The problem with the studio is that for anything Pokémon related, we would need to wait for February to roll around and see if they are hosting a Pokémon Presents, which they have done for years now, until then, we have no idea what else they could have planned. Given their fondness of re-releases and remakes recently, we could see an old entry from the Pokémon back catalogue get a new life on Switch 2, only time will tell.
GOOD-FEEL
Last Game Released: BAKERU | Series: Yoshi series
2024 was a busy year for Good-Feel, not only did they get to see Princess Peach: Showtime! release earlier in the year, but later in the year Bakeru was brought to the West. While the latter title was brought to the West with the support of Spike Chunsoft, they were still involved.
Now the studio is fairly large, but they tend to only release a game or two every few years, so as such I would not expect to see anything from them in 2025, unless they have something else like Monkey Barrels that they have been working on with a small team.
GREZZO
Last Game Released: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | Series: Legend of Zelda ports, Ever Oasis
Another studio that shipped a game in 2024, as Grezzo were the lead developers for Echoes of Wisdom on the Switch. I said last year that a new entry in the Legend of Zelda series was likely, and while an updated port was possible, something new felt better and I was right.
However, given they just shipped a game not 4 months ago, at the time of publishing this, odds of them having another game ready to go this year are slim. With Switch 2, it is possible we might see some updated versions of their games released, but that would be a slim chance at best. So for 2025, I would say Grezzo is likely to embrace the ZZ in their name and sleep on releasing anything this year.
HAL LABORATORY
Last Game Released: Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe | Series: Kirby series, Adventures of Lolo series
For the longest time, it seemed that Hal Labs could not go a year without releasing a few Kirby games, which is why it is odd to now be at 2 years without a game. That is any game not just Kirby, as the studio has not released a single game since the 2023 remaster of Return to Dream Land, which was co-developed by Vanpool.
The studio has a number of open roles right now, but more of them are on the technical side of things, which sadly don’t give any hints as to what might be happening behind the scenes. Kirby is like 99% going to be their next game, but I hold out hope for a new entry in The Adventures of Lolo series, or Eggerland if you are in Japan. Given the studios quiet 2024, I expect we will hear from them in 2025, but there is no way of knowing if their new game will release this year.
INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
Last Game Released: WarioWare: Move It! | Series: Paper Mario series, WarioWare series, Fire Emblem series
Apart from 2022 where Fire Emblem was delayed into 2023, Intelligent Systems have released a game a year since 1999 and they kept that trend going in 2024 with the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Apart from a few smaller titles like Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. or Pushmo/Pullblox series, they tend to three series, WarioWare, Fire Emblem and of course Paper Mario.
Given the studios cyclic nature, it would be likely that Fire Emblem is the game on the cards for 2025. The studio doesn’t have anything open for jobs, which likely means they are working away on whatever they have. The group are also supporting Fire Emblem Heroes for mobile, one of the only remaining mobile games from Nintendo still going. Will we see their name in 2025, yes, will the game release this year, that comes down to a flip of the coin.
So there we go, Nintendo’s potential 2025 offerings. Do you think we will see a few big hits along with the release of Switch 2, or are we going to have another quiet year?
