Nintendo announces acquisition of Shiver Entertainment

There have been all kinds of acquisitions in the video game industry lately and today it’s Nintendo’s turn.

The Japanese company has reached an agreement with Embracer Group to acquire Miami, Florida-based Team Shiver Entertainment. Shiver has previously worked on porting Embracer and developing games like Mortal Kombat 1 and Hogwarts Legacy for the Nintendo Switch.

In a press release, Nintendo clearly indicates that it will acquire “100% of the outstanding shares of Shiver and make it a 100% subsidiary” with the aim of “securing high-level resources for porting and development” . Shiver’s goal “will remain the same” after the acquisition: continue to port and develop software for “multiple platforms”, including Switch.

“By welcoming Shiver’s experienced and accomplished development team, Nintendo aims to secure high-level resources for the porting and development of software titles. In the future, even after becoming part of the Nintendo Group, the goal of Shiver will remain the same, continuing title porting and development commissions to develop software for multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch.

According to a footnote, this acquisition will only have a “minor effect” on Nintendo’s results for the current fiscal year.

Shiver Entertainment, Inc. was founded on December 11, 2012 by industry veterans John Schappert (former CCO of Electronic Arts) and Jason Andersen. The studio is skilled in both “porting and developing video game software” and has already worked with numerous publishers on series such as Scribblenauts, Need for Speed, Guitar Hero, FIFA and Madden NFL. It was initially acquired by Embracer Group in December 2021.

This latest industrial acquisition follows Embracer’s workforce reduction and layoffs of several teams to streamline its operations.