Yesterday, Nintendo released a statement confirming their plans to acquire shares of Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, also known as BNSS. The transfer will be part of an agreement that the announcement claims is due to the strong ties between the two companies. The two companies have had a storied history of working together, with Bandai Namco having multiple games available for the Switch system, and more notable titles being worked on exclusively for Nintendo such as Splatoon 3. The acquisition of shares will directly lead to BNSS becoming a Nintendo subsidiary named Nintendo Studios Singapore.
With the official statement, Nintendo goes into greater detail as to why the decision was made. They point out the original purpose of Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, along with the mutually beneficial business relationship that Nintendo has cultivated with the company over the years of working together. More specifically, the company’s talent for creating art assets is something Nintendo seeks to strengthen their development structure. Their current plans include acquiring 80% of BNSS by April 1st, 2026, with plans to acquire the remainder following subsidiary operations being stabilized. Despite the large purchase, Nintendo also includes in the announcement that they expect the acquisition to only have impacts on their fiscal year.
While the reasoning presented in Nintendo’s announcement is sound, the decision still surprised many fans given the company’s relative slowness to acquire other developers when compared their competition in Sony and Microsoft. This would not be the first time that Nintendo has purchased other developers, though they have not announced any information that would hint at further action in line with the acquisition, leaving the share transfer an anomaly for now. Nintendo’s statement has also left many to speculate what BNSS, soon to be Nintendo Studios Singapore, may work on in the near future, though the announcement gives no hints for potential titles the developer will move to.
More information about the consequences of the acquisition will likely be available closer to April 1st, 2026. Until then, fans of both Nintendo and Bandai Namco will be forced to wait.