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News Nintendo Acquires Shiver Entertainment from Embracer Group (Port Studio behind Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch, and others)

Please refrain from referencing Hogwarts Legacy in any capacity. For more information, please refer to the banned content list. - Lord Azrael, ngpdrew, IsisStormDragon, meatbag
I do wonder if Nintendo acquired them to actually get more of current gen support for Switch 2. Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1 were bizzare choices to port over to the Switch. The latter title wasn't even on PS4. Nintendo saw how they managed to make current gen games work on the Switch despite all the odds and said yup these are the guys.
 
Clov said:
I hope not. One is bad enough!
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It’s a small studio of 24-25 employees, there’s a difference of buying a studio with 2000-8000 employees, compared to a small one.

Also they have the luxury of not being shutdown by embracer and being supported by Nintendo and having the help with hardware troubles or getting advice from Nintendo, since most of Nintendo larger developers always started small and rose slowly but surely.
 
Famicrono said:
Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3 for NS2, for the love of God
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I'd assume Shiver will probably keep working with western based studios and also for games running on unreal/unity first so Elden Ring wouldn't be in their wheelhouse as a japanese game running on a proprietary engine.
 
Nintendo about to be like “hey third parties, port your games to our platform, we’ll even do some of the port work for you.”
 
Toad King said:
Acquisitions are usually very private until things are ready to go, but I am surprised nothing about it leaked earlier today. Probably means the people at the studio themselves weren't even told today and are probably gonna have a very interesting day at the office tomorrow lol.
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Employee not in the know walks in the office only to see all his colleagues wearing Mario hats.
 
Small little thing I noticed from this (and possibly a coincidence), but this continues all of Nintendo’s first-party studios in the US being in states with no income tax (NST and NOA itself is in Washington, Retro is in Texas, and now Shiver is in Florida).
 
Given the teams recent experience with Warner Brothers Interactive and fighting games, I'd be willing to bet their next port is Multiversus.
 
RoyalGoldenFES said:
Small little thing I noticed from this (and possibly a coincidence), but this continues all of Nintendo’s first-party studios in the US being in states with no income tax (NST and NOA itself is in Washington, Retro is in Texas, and now Shiver is in Florida).
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They also closed their offices in California a while ago. (Also Canada)
www.theverge.com

Nintendo is officially closing its Redwood City and Toronto offices

The offices will be closed “over time.”
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
 
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Magic-Man said:
Given the teams recent experience with Warner Brothers Interactive and fighting games, I'd be willing to bet their next port is Multiversus.
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Mad I'd pay the full price for both if Shiver brought Shadow of Mordor/War to Switch. But they might not bother as they're old ass games.
 
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With all due respect to the workers of the company, it’s an acquisition that is basically irrelevant in the grand scheme of things due to the size of the studio. At most they can work in what 2/3 ports at the same time? And they will have to finish all the ports they are working already for other companies b4 working directly for Nintendo

Great that it happens due to them being owned by Embracer but for us fans it doesn’t matter a lot. (and that’s fine)
 
Well, better Nintendo than Embracer. And I guess if the alternative to Nintendo acquiring them is Shiver just dying, it's better than that.

I have a knee-jerk reaction against acquisitions but since Nintendo hasn't really closed any of its internal studios (just look at NST and Retro not getting closed), they seem safe for now.
 
Blue Monty said:
With all due respect to the workers of the company, it’s an acquisition that is basically irrelevant in the grand scheme of things due to the size of the studio. At most they can work in what 2/3 ports at the same time? And they will have to finish all the ports they are working already for other companies b4 working directly for Nintendo

Great that it happens due to them being owned by Embracer but for us fans it doesn’t matter a lot. (and that’s fine)
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it gives them near infinite resources to expand. resources they wouldn't have gotten from the floundering Embracer
 
Blue Monty said:
With all due respect to the workers of the company, it’s an acquisition that is basically irrelevant in the grand scheme of things due to the size of the studio. At most they can work in what 2/3 ports at the same time? And they will have to finish all the ports they are working already for other companies b4 working directly for Nintendo

Great that it happens due to them being owned by Embracer but for us fans it doesn’t matter a lot. (and that’s fine)
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I mean it's revlevant in that they won't get shut down by embracer like they have done to many many others
 
Between this and hiring Gio Corsi, there’s definitely a movement within Nintendo to streamline the 3rd party process as much as possible. It’s a good time to capitalize on it too; very few games are taking full advantage of the current generation of hardware, so theoretically the Switch 2 will be able to run most stuff. Might be the best chance yet for them to achieve platform parity, or at least get closer than they ever have.

It’s definitely a bit interesting to see them go so far outside of their wheelhouse though. Definitely not their M.O. for this kinda stuff, although Shiver’s potential for organic growth fits with Nintendo. Wonder if they’re looking to scoop up any other small porting studios. But even then, I’m surprised they’re doing this at all. Figured they’d be content to let other developers do the work, given that a lot of them are probably itching to get into the Nintendo ecosystem anyway due to its popularity.
 
Currently getting a big port onto Switch looks something like this (I imagine):
1. Nintendo and/or Publisher finds porting resources (usually an outside studio)
2. Nintendo likely steps in to either cover a) the porting cost b) marketing and/or c) publishing/distribution

With their own porting subsidiary, I can see future scenarios being reduced to only one step on Nintendo's side, being:

  • Nintendo gets Shiver to do the port.
AKA "we'll help out with the actual porting to try and get it out day 1 or closer to launch, so your teams can focus on the main platforms". Which hopefully means no longer a need for Nintendo publishing or distributing third party games

It will be good that Nintendo will have a porting team "at the ready" so to speak, as sometimes even finding the right people at the right time can be difficult.
 
Well, that's interesting.

Shiver Entertainment might have been owned by Embracer Group, but they've exclusively worked on projects from Warner Bros. We got their one original game (Scribblenauts Showdown) followed by their history as a port studio, starting with Scribblenauts Unleashed/Unmasked. The Scribblenauts games were multiplatform, but beyond that they've been focused on Switch with those AAA WB Games ports. And that's already a reason why this acquisition makes sense - Shiver has preexisting relations with a major third party, their ports have been key gets for the Switch platform, Embracer is going down. Get them in-house, give them access to inside help for your platform(s), and they can do exactly what you need them to do without having to change course. Why worry about two third party companies to get a port (Embracer AND the studio wanting the port) when you can cut the middle man and do the port yourself, directly working with and building better relations with third parties? Even just sticking to WB Games could be a good relationship, though if Nintendo wishes they could expand the port work.

If managed with care, extra Nintendo resources can ensure that their port work is stronger. Perhaps they can avoid the MK1 launch situation and instead be closer to the post patch performance. Or there can be more day and date ports - that's something we can say about the Mortal Kombat work. Let's hope these workers get treated well.
 
thoughthaver said:
welcome to the family, the Nintenfamily Shiver Entertainment cue corny trailer
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ABD3D43442265C54805A1BE4A8FD1EFD5AF4959D
 
BlackthornOrion said:
Hmm, "multiple platforms including Switch" is interesting. I'd assume that just means "and also Switch 2", but a veeery small part of my brain is tempted to read this as "oh, like how Sony bought Nixxes to be their PC port studio"

Anyway, classic Nintendo once again buying a "literally never heard of them" studio rather than any of the usual suspects people online insist Nintendo "needs" to acquire

e: Also, maybe not what I'd have picked up if I was sifting through the ruins of Embracer (Purple Lamp feels like it maybe could have been a good fit, and I'm hoping somebody can pull Eidos and Crystal Dynamics out of that mess), but not a bad idea to just have a studio dedicated to 3rd party ports (or assisting with 3rd party ports). iirc NST kinda started out doing that sort of thing before moving onto other things?
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maybe it will be similar to Dynamo Pictures, Nintendo owned the company, while it worked on severals animation project by some companie
 
I think the most interesting part about this is the fact that Nintendo cares a lot more third-party ports than most (or at least, I) thought. Call me crazy but I'm getting the feeling that Nintendo wants to try and get back in the ring with Sony and MS to an extent (key words here).
 
Working hard to get Wonder Woman game in Switch 2.

I imagine this adquisition is to focus in porting american based studios gen 9 games to Switch 2.

Possible get a deal with Microsoft Game Studios to get quick ports for Switch 2
 
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With ease of porting being one of the primary obstacles to getting third party games on their platform (Switch 2 will help a lot, but it won't eliminate the issue), having an in house porting studio that they can offer the services of is a smart move to help alleviate it.
 
Paxie said:
I think the most interesting part about this is the fact that Nintendo cares a lot more third-party ports than most (or at least, I) thought. Call me crazy but I'm getting the feeling that Nintendo wants to try and get back in the ring with Sony and MS to an extent (key words here).
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They've always "cared".
It was just never that easy. They always had self imposed limitations that made it easy for 3rd parties to ignore the system.
With switch 2, it's going to be harder to ignore and Nintendo is going to try and make it much easier.
 
AceBandage said:
They've always "cared".
It was just never that easy. They always had self imposed limitations that made it easy for 3rd parties to ignore the system.
With switch 2, it's going to be harder to ignore and Nintendo is going to try and make it much easier.
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The biggest issue is Nintendo fans dont buy AAA third party games on Nintendo Hardware. The Switch 1 did not change that and Switch 2 won't either.
 
davec00ke said:
The biggest issue is Nintendo fans dont buy AAA third party games on Nintendo Hardware. The Switch 1 did not change that and Switch 2 won't either.
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that's actually very untrue in the Switch era. There is a port of a certain game (that these guys did too) that did VERY well just for one example
 
thoughthaver said:
welcome to the family, the Nintenfamily Shiver Entertainment cue corny trailer
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I’m trying to remember if Nintendo had ever done this.
davec00ke said:
The biggest issue is Nintendo fans dont buy AAA third party games on Nintendo Hardware. The Switch 1 did not change that and Switch 2 won't either.
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The Switch 1 did change that; they just weren’t consistently there
 
AceBandage said:
They've always "cared".
It was just never that easy. They always had self imposed limitations that made it easy for 3rd parties to ignore the system.
With switch 2, it's going to be harder to ignore and Nintendo is going to try and make it much easier.
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Idk, like yeah they always cared, but going out of their way to buy a studio for the specifically for 3rd party releases feels like an uncharacteristically proactive move wrt ports
 
BlackthornOrion said:
Hmm, "multiple platforms including Switch" is interesting. I'd assume that just means "and also Switch 2", but a veeery small part of my brain is tempted to read this as "oh, like how Sony bought Nixxes to be their PC port studio"
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Danny said:
Being that small makes it even weirder that Nintendo bought them. They won't be offloading much work from Nintendo being that size.
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Repeating what I wrote in the hardware thread - I think this means exactly what it says. They will seek commissions for ports to non-Nintendo platforms. I don't think this was Nintendo looking for a porting studio, then getting one. I think this was Nintendo seeing a studio that was valuable to their overall platform that was about to collapse for reasons that had nothing to do with the quality of the work.

For pennies on the dollar, Nintendo can step in and keep the porting studio afloat, but if Nintendo doesn't have a strong existing relationship, or a line up of ports ready to go, the company has to continue to bring in revenue, and right now that means seeking exactly the work they were before. If Nintendo steers them toward becoming an in house PC studio, or a contracting company that only works on Switch ports, that's for the next 3-5 years to play out. Right now, they just need to make money like they've always done, so they're not costing Nintendo anything.
 
oldpuck said:
Repeating what I wrote in the hardware thread - I think this means exactly what it says. They will seek commissions for ports to non-Nintendo platforms. I don't think this was Nintendo looking for a porting studio, then getting one. I think this was Nintendo seeing a studio that was valuable to their overall platform that was about to collapse for reasons that had nothing to do with the quality of the work.

For pennies on the dollar, Nintendo can step in and keep the porting studio afloat, but if Nintendo doesn't have a strong existing relationship, or a line up of ports ready to go, the company has to continue to bring in revenue, and right now that means seeking exactly the work they were before. If Nintendo steers them toward becoming an in house PC studio, or a contracting company that only works on Switch ports, that's for the next 3-5 years to play out. Right now, they just need to make money like they've always done, so they're not costing Nintendo anything.
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I foresee non-Nintendo commissions being a "if we have room" kinda deal. now that they're under Nintendo, I figure publishers will be going to them for Drake ports first with other systems being supplementary
 
davec00ke said:
The biggest issue is Nintendo fans dont buy AAA third party games on Nintendo Hardware. The Switch 1 did not change that and Switch 2 won't either.
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That third party sales is at least half of their sales on Switch with basically no AAA games would point to otherwise.
 
eh I belive they may fill out existing contracts but it will be mostly ports to Nintendo after that
 
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Happy about this acquisition. Developing an in-house port studio will ensure not just better 3rd party ports to Nintendo hardware, but more 3rd party ports in general. It's showing a proactive nature in Nintendo to try and secure as many 3rd party games on Switch 2 as possible. And what a better time to do it because Switch 2 is looking to be a hot ticket in the industry. With Xbox going downhill and their market share getting smaller and smaller, those 3rd party companies will be looking to expand their reach for more profitability, especially considering the profitability issue in the business today
 
Interesting, so it seems they will be kept primarily a port studio, which could potentially mean porting old Nintendo titles to Switch/Switch 2 but also enhanced ports of Switch games for Switch 2. They may also act as an assist studio on 3rd party ports for Switch 2, exciting times!
 
Surprised about the news itself but also the studio in question. They’re so small, I wonder if that was why they were interested in them to begin with. Buying a hundreds-of-people-studio would have been even weirder in Nintendo’s case.
 
kirbyfan407 said:
Oh? Any chance you have some links or a quick summary you could provide on who their founders are and the connection with Gio Corsi? I didn't find much specific detail on the Shiver website.
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Sorry, should have been more clear. I didn't mean there was a direct connection with Gio Corsi, or at least I don't think there is anyway. I was speaking broadly about Shiver's John Schappert, former EA and Zynga executive, and Jason Andersen. They previously founded Tiburon, which eventually became the primary dev for Madden from the 90s onwards, and are one of EA's most important studios.

Point being that's a lot of experience with AAA development and publishing that seems useful for what Gio Corsi is working on for Nintendo. Certainly also if they plan to grow this studio, the leadership is already there to handle a large studio. Or maybe Nintendo is going to get back into sports sims down the road lol.
 
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