Nintendo has announced an agreement with Bandai Namco that culminates in the former company acquiring the latter’s Singapore-based studio – Bandai Namco Studios Singapore. As a result of this agreement, Bandai Namco Studios Singapore is officially becoming a subsidiary of Nintendo, and will continue its operations under a new name: Nintendo Studios Singapore. According to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, this agreement was signed for the purposes of “strengthening its development structure”.
This acquisition shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, since Bandai Namco Studios Singapore has worked on Nintendo titles in the past, including the critically acclaimed Splatoon 3. “Considering this business record, Nintendo has made the decision to acquire shares in [Bandai Namco Studios Singapore] to strengthen the development structure of the Nintendo Group,” reads the announcement. As part of the agreement, Nintendo will acquire 80 percent of the studio’s shares on April 1, 2026, with the remaining shares being acquired at a later date after the now-subsidiary’s operations have stabilised.
The announcement of this acquisition comes just a couple of months after Nintendo had announced that it was opening a local business entity in Singapore. Dubbed Nintendo Singapore, the entity’s purpose revolved around boosting the company’s business in the Southeast Asian markets, which Nintendo had described as being still-untapped.
Alongside the opening up of Nintendo Singapore, the company also confirmed that it was considering opening up a similar branch in Thailand as well to help bolster its efforts in the market. Nintendo Singapore was opened up with a capital stock of SGD $8 million.
The announcement at the time was made on the same day as the company announcing that Doug Bowser would be stepping down from his role as president and COO at Nintendo of America. Bowser’s departure is set to happen on December 31, 2025, and he will be succeeded by gaming industry veteran Devon Pritchard alongside Satoru Shibata.
“One of my earliest video game experiences was playing the arcade version of Donkey Kong,” said Bowser in a statement announcing his retirement. “Since that time, all things Nintendo have continued to be a passion for both me and my family. Leading Nintendo of America has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am proud of what our team has accomplished in both business results and the experiences we’ve created for consumers.”
“Now, it’s time for the next generation of leadership and Devon’s track record speaks for itself. She is an exceptional leader, and her promotion is a testament to her strong performance and strategic contributions to the company’s growth. I have full confidence that she will guide the company to even greater heights.”
As for Bandai Namco Studios Singapore – now Nintendo Studios Singapore – the developer’s last major title with Nintendo was Splatoon 3, which saw quite a few expansions over the course of two years after its 2022 release. Available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, Splatoon 3 is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. For more details about the title, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 8 out of 10. Also check out our coverage of the announcement of post-launch update and expansion support ending in September 2024.
