Nintendo Studios Singapore: Why Nintendo Is Buying Bandai Namco’s Singapore Team

28 November 2025
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11 min.
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Nintendo Studios Singapore: Why Nintendo Is Buying Bandai Namco’s Singapore Team

Summary:

Nintendo is making a clear, calculated move by purchasing Bandai Namco Studios Singapore and transforming it into Nintendo Studios Singapore. Through a share transfer agreement, Nintendo will take an 80 percent stake in the studio on April 1, 2026, with the remaining shares to be picked up later once operations have fully settled under the new parent. The team will keep CEO Makoto Ishii at the helm and will continue its work out of Singapore, focusing on game development with a strong emphasis on in-game art assets. That might sound dry on paper, but this group has already helped shape high profile projects, including the Splatoon series and other major releases for both Bandai Namco and Nintendo. For Nintendo, this is not just a random shopping trip. The company describes the move as a way to strengthen its development structure, particularly as it leans further into worldwide production for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. At the same time, long running chatter around Metroid Prime 4 and earlier prototypes from Bandai Namco’s teams keeps fans watching this story very closely. By looking at what the Singapore studio has done already, how the deal is structured, and how Nintendo has treated past acquisitions, we can get a grounded feel for what this change will actually mean for players, developers in Singapore, and Nintendo’s future projects.

Nintendo moves to acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore

Nintendo has confirmed that it has entered a share transfer agreement with Bandai Namco Studios to acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore Pte. Ltd. The company is very clear about its goal here: it wants to strengthen its overall development structure by bringing a trusted external partner fully inside the Nintendo family. Once the transaction is completed, the studio will operate under the new name Nintendo Studios Singapore and officially become a Nintendo subsidiary. Instead of starting from scratch with a fresh team, Nintendo is buying a studio it already knows well, one that has been delivering art and development work for years. For players, the name change might feel cosmetic at first, but behind the scenes it signals a tighter, more permanent link between the Singapore team and Nintendo’s long term planning for future projects.

Who Bandai Namco Studios Singapore is and how it operates

Bandai Namco Studios Singapore was founded in 2013 as one of Bandai Namco Group’s overseas bases, based at Infinite Studios in Singapore. The studio focuses on game development with a particular specialty in building in-game art assets, which covers everything from character models and environments to animation and visual polish. Over time, it has helped on several notable projects, including Splatoon entries for Nintendo and titles like Ace Combat 7 and Soulcalibur VI on the Bandai Namco side. In practical terms, this is a team that knows how to plug into large, complex projects and deliver detailed visual work that still fits neatly within an existing style guide. That kind of experience is especially valuable when companies run multiple projects across different time zones and need reliable satellite teams that understand both quality expectations and communication rhythms with headquarters in Japan.

Why Nintendo wants a Singapore based studio right now

Nintendo has been open in recent financial reports about its desire to invest more in development capabilities, including studio acquisitions. Bringing Bandai Namco Studios Singapore in house gives Nintendo direct access to a proven team in Southeast Asia, a region with a growing pool of technical and artistic talent. It helps Nintendo spread development across more time zones and reduces the friction of contracting external partners for every new project. As Nintendo shifts more of its primary development focus toward Nintendo Switch 2 while still supporting the original Switch, production needs will only climb. A dedicated studio in Singapore that already understands Nintendo’s expectations makes that ramp up smoother. The move also echoes previous steps such as buying Next Level Games and Dynamo Pictures, which later became Nintendo Pictures, as part of a broader pattern of securing key partners that have already demonstrated strong collaboration.

Key details of the share transfer and ownership structure

On the financial and structural side, Nintendo’s announcement spells out how the deal will unfold. Subject to the usual conditions for a transaction of this kind, Nintendo plans to acquire 80 percent of Bandai Namco Studios Singapore’s shares on April 1, 2026. The remaining 20 percent will be purchased later, after the subsidiary’s operations have stabilized under Nintendo’s management. After the acquisition, the studio will formally be renamed Nintendo Studios Singapore Pte. Ltd., with Makoto Ishii staying on as CEO. The company lists the studio’s capital stock at SGD 1,000,000 and notes its core business as game development and in-game art asset creation. Nintendo also stresses that the deal will have only a minor effect on its results for the current fiscal year, which is a polite way of saying this is a long term capability play rather than a short term financial push.

How the studio has supported the Splatoon series and other Nintendo projects

For many players, the most eye catching part of this story is the studio’s credited work on the Splatoon series. Nintendo’s own release points out that the Singapore team has contributed to Splatoon projects, while outlets covering the acquisition highlight its role in Splatoon 3, where it helped with concept art, character modeling, environments, and animation. That kind of work shapes how ink, weapons, and characters feel on screen, even if the studio’s name never appears on the box. Beyond Splatoon, reporting around the deal mentions contributions to other projects, including Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival, Ace Combat 7, and Soulcalibur VI. When a team proves it can deliver for both its original parent and a partner like Nintendo, it becomes a natural candidate for a closer relationship. Buying the studio formalizes that trust and ensures that those skills are pointed at Nintendo’s priorities first.

The Metroid Prime 4 connection and what is actually confirmed

Fans who have followed Metroid Prime 4 for years are likely reading this news through a very specific lens. For a long time, reports and job listings suggested that Bandai Namco studios, including the Singapore branch, were involved in early Metroid Prime 4 development before Nintendo decided to restart the project with Retro Studios. Coverage of the current acquisition often nods to that history, describing the Singapore studio as long rumored to have worked on Prime 4 in some capacity. It is important to separate what is documented from what is still rumor. Nintendo’s official acquisition announcement does not mention Metroid by name, focusing instead on the studio’s expertise in in-game art assets and its contributions to Splatoon. The Prime connection lives mainly in earlier reporting and industry chatter, so while it adds color to the story for fans, it should not be mistaken for a freshly confirmed detail in Nintendo’s own wording.

How Nintendo Studios Singapore fits into Nintendo’s global development family

Once the deal closes, Nintendo Studios Singapore will join a growing group of internal teams and subsidiaries that support Nintendo’s hardware and software lineup. Alongside names like Monolith Soft, Next Level Games, 1-Up Studio, Retro Studios, Nintendo Pictures, and Nintendo Systems, the Singapore branch will form part of a broader web of specialized units. Some focus on cinematic work, some on network infrastructure, others on full game production or support for blockbuster titles. Nintendo’s statement highlights the Singapore team’s strength in art asset creation, which suggests it will primarily continue as a high end support studio rather than suddenly becoming the lead team on every major project. For players, this kind of support work is easy to overlook, but it makes a big difference in how quickly large worlds can be built, how polished environments look, and how consistently visual quality is maintained across different hardware models.

Opportunities for Nintendo Studios Singapore in the Switch 2 era

Looking ahead, it is not hard to imagine why Nintendo would want a reliable art focused studio as it pushes deeper into the Nintendo Switch 2 era. Higher resolution targets, more detailed character models, and richer environments all demand more hands and more specialized pipelines. A studio like Nintendo Studios Singapore can contribute to those needs in a focused way, building characters, props, and locations that are optimized for both the original Switch and Switch 2 versions of upcoming projects. Because the team already understands how Nintendo likes to present its worlds, from Splatoon’s ink soaked cities to sleek menus and clean iconography, it can help maintain visual consistency even as technical expectations climb. The deal also gives Nintendo a base in a region that can tap into local universities and talent pools, which is useful for recruitment and long term staffing as production scales up.

What this acquisition means for Singapore’s game development scene

For Singapore, the move is another sign that the country’s game development scene is on the radar of major publishers. Bandai Namco Studios Singapore already served as a regional hub, but becoming Nintendo Studios Singapore gives the city state a direct link to one of the industry’s most recognizable platform holders. That can attract local artists, programmers, and designers who want to work on globally visible projects without relocating to Japan, Europe, or North America. It also sends a message to other companies that Singapore is a viable base for high end development, not just outsourcing. At the same time, the studio will likely remain tightly integrated with Nintendo’s Japanese headquarters, so it will not suddenly become an independent powerhouse making decisions on its own. Instead, it becomes a visible part of a larger network that still brings fresh opportunities to the local talent pipeline.

What players can realistically expect in the next few years

From a player’s point of view, it is tempting to see an acquisition like this and immediately wonder which specific games are on the way. In the short term, Nintendo itself says the deal will have only a minor impact on its current fiscal results, which is a strong hint that fans should not expect overnight transformations. The Singapore team will keep doing what it already does well, now with Nintendo as its direct parent instead of Bandai Namco. Over the next few years, that likely translates into more polished visuals, smoother pipelines for cross platform releases on Switch and Switch 2, and a steadier flow of support for big series such as Splatoon and whatever comes next from Nintendo’s internal producers. Rather than expecting a sudden wave of Singapore branded titles, players should think of this as an invisible upgrade to the teams behind the games they already follow.

How this deal reflects Nintendo’s broader acquisition strategy

Nintendo tends to be cautious when it comes to buying other companies, and this acquisition fits the pattern it has shown over the last decade. Instead of chasing headline grabbing megadeals, Nintendo prefers to purchase partners that it has already worked with closely, such as Next Level Games, Monolith Soft’s earlier expansions, and Dynamo Pictures before it became Nintendo Pictures. The Singapore deal follows that script almost perfectly: a trusted collaborator with documented contributions to key projects is brought inside the group to secure its output for the long term. It is a quieter approach than some competitors, but it lines up with Nintendo’s focus on stability, careful growth, and maintaining a consistent creative identity across platforms. In that sense, buying Bandai Namco’s Singapore studio is less a surprise swing and more a tidy piece of long planned housekeeping.

Why this move matters even if it barely affects Nintendo’s earnings today

When Nintendo says a deal will have only a minor effect on current year results, it is easy to shrug and move on. Yet the real importance of this move sits in the future. By locking in Nintendo Studios Singapore now, the company ensures that a skilled, battle tested group of developers is working exclusively on its priorities just as it ramps up for a busy period around Nintendo Switch 2 and beyond. That means fewer worries about losing key partners to rival projects, more control over scheduling, and a stronger internal culture where teams can share tools and techniques more freely. For players, the benefit shows up quietly in the form of stronger visuals, smoother launches, and games that feel more cohesive even as they grow more ambitious. The earnings impact may be small today, but the structural impact is likely to be felt for years.

Conclusion

Nintendo’s decision to acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore and convert it into Nintendo Studios Singapore is a targeted, long term investment in talent it already trusts. The studio’s track record on Splatoon and other major releases, combined with Nintendo’s need to strengthen its global development structure, makes the move feel logical rather than flashy. Clear details around the 80 percent stake in 2026, the eventual full ownership, and the continued leadership of CEO Makoto Ishii show that this is about preserving what already works while bringing it under a new banner. For Singapore, it adds another major name to the local industry. For players, it hints at a future where more Nintendo projects benefit from a stable, well integrated art and support hub in Southeast Asia. It may not come with instant fireworks, but it quietly reshapes how Nintendo builds the games that will define its next hardware generation.

FAQs
  • What exactly is Nintendo buying in this deal?
    • Nintendo is acquiring shares of Bandai Namco Studios Singapore Pte. Ltd., a game development studio based in Singapore that specializes in creating in-game art assets and has supported projects such as the Splatoon series. After the transaction, the studio will become a Nintendo subsidiary under the new name Nintendo Studios Singapore, with Nintendo initially owning 80 percent of its shares and planning to acquire the remaining 20 percent later.
  • Will Nintendo Studios Singapore start leading its own major games?
    • Based on Nintendo’s official explanation, the main aim is to strengthen its development structure by securing a team known for strong art and support work. The company highlights the studio’s expertise in in-game art assets rather than positioning it as a new lead developer for every flagship release. In practice, the Singapore team will likely continue as a high level support studio that contributes visuals and other development work to projects led by Nintendo’s existing internal teams.
  • How is this acquisition connected to Metroid Prime 4?
    • For years, reporting and job listings suggested that Bandai Namco studios, including the Singapore branch, were involved in early Metroid Prime 4 development before Nintendo restarted the project with Retro Studios. Some coverage of the new deal mentions that history and describes the studio as long rumored to have worked on Prime 4. However, Nintendo’s official acquisition announcement does not mention Metroid at all, focusing instead on the studio’s art asset expertise and contributions to Splatoon, so the Prime link should still be treated as earlier rumor rather than newly confirmed fact.
  • When will Nintendo fully own Nintendo Studios Singapore?
    • Nintendo plans to acquire 80 percent of the studio’s shares on April 1, 2026, once all usual conditions for the deal are satisfied. The remaining 20 percent will be purchased after a certain period, once the subsidiary’s operations have stabilized under Nintendo’s ownership. The company has not pinned down a specific calendar date for that final step, but the intention is clearly laid out as part of a gradual path toward full ownership rather than a single one day transaction.
  • What will change for players after the acquisition is complete?
    • For players, nothing will suddenly look different on the store shelves the day the deal closes. Nintendo itself says the impact on current fiscal year results will be minor, which suggests a gradual influence rather than instant shifts. Over time, though, projects that rely on high end art assets and co-development help, such as future Splatoon entries or other visually ambitious titles on Switch and Switch 2, are likely to benefit from having Nintendo Studios Singapore fully integrated into Nintendo’s planning, tooling, and scheduling.
Sources
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