The recent Nintendo Direct offered some surprising announcements, not the least of which includes Mario and Luigi: Brothership. It’s the first brand new entry in the franchise since 2017’s Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam, but with developer AlphaDream having gone bankrupt in 2019, the developer is a mystery.
Some have speculated the involvement of ILCA in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl fame. However, a Nintendo representative told Game File, “Some of the original developers who worked on the franchise are involved in the development of Mario and Luigi: Brothership. For more information about the developers, please stay tuned to the game credits at release.”
Which original developers is a mystery, though. As VGC pointed out, former producer Akira Otani and series director Yoshihiko Maekawa (who supervised Super Mario RPG on the Switch) work at Nintendo. However, Hiroyuki Kubota, previously development manager at AlphaDream, now works at Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft.
Time will tell which developers are involved. However, this isn’t a first for Nintendo, as seen with Princess Peach: Showtime! (developed by Good-Feel) and Super Mario RPG remake (helmed by ArtePiazza).
Mario and Luigi: Brothership launches on November 7th for Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.