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Nintendo releases their 2021 annual report (ending March 31st, 2021), Next Level Games officially joins the ranks

Hero of Legend

Hero of Legend

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,606
It's finally here!

annual2103e.pdf (nintendo.co.jp)

Just out today (July 19th), which FUUUUUNNY enough is timed perfectly with a thread I'm making. Who da thunk it?

Page 7 shows that Next Level Games is now OFFICIALLY part of the subsidiaries right below Retro Studios. I made a simplified version below:

nextlevelgamesannualrkmk00.png


So yeah! Nice to see it officially official now. Nintendo for some reason never made any announcement of the acquisition (which was scheduled to be done on March 1st if all approvals made it through). Next Level slightly updated their site to remove the word "independent" and went from being a "AAA Nintendo developer" to a "Nintendo developer", but still. No-one wanted to outright say it. Maybe they were waiting for the report?

Thoughts?
 

Dark Cloud

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
61,087
They've had multiple people add they're a Nintendo subsidiary to their LinkedIn profile for months now.
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
XCdenhJ.png


will never not be funny

EDIT: do we know waht the 6 consolidated companies not listed are?
 
OP
OP
Hero of Legend

Hero of Legend

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,606
ILikeFeet said:
XCdenhJ.png


will never not be funny

EDIT: do we know waht the 6 consolidated companies not listed are?
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They mention a new company called Fukuei Co, Ltd. and also Ape Inc. a bit further down. I guess they're so tiny that they weren't really considered "worth" putting in that list according to Nintendo.

... and Ape actually still exists?

Edit: Wait those are "unconsolidated", so maybe not?
 
Gay Bowser

Gay Bowser

Member
Oct 30, 2017
17,632
Hopefully Next Level's new corporate overlord treats them right :)

and is having them make a new 2D DK game :) :)
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
Hero of Legend said:
They mention a new company called Fukuei Co, Ltd. and also Ape Inc. a bit further down. I guess they're so tiny that they weren't really considered "worth" putting in that list according to Nintendo.

... and Ape actually still exists?

Edit: Wait those are "unconsolidated", so maybe not?
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I know Ape became Creatures. does the name still exist separately?
 
evilmonkey

evilmonkey

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,481
Canada
ILikeFeet said:
I know Ape became Creatures. does the name still exist separately?
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Ape is still listed in updated copyrights for all the games they helped produce, so they're separate legal entities even though their key members are probably one and the same. The report mentions they're an associate, not a subsidiary.
 
Gay Bowser

Gay Bowser

Member
Oct 30, 2017
17,632
grand said:
Both threads main topic is effectively about NLG's transition from 3rd party to 1st party
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No, this thread is about Nintendo's annual report. NLG officially being reported as part of Nintendo is just a significant new factor OP wanted to highlight.

•••••

Anyway, I think it's interesting that Nintendo's employee count increased by about 6% between FY20 and FY21. That's bigger than the increase over FY20 and FY19 and roughly on par with the increase over FY18.
 
Luke88

Luke88

One Winged Slayer
Member
Dec 29, 2018
2,560
Italy
It was a matter of time before we got the confirmation that the acquisition was completed. I'm really curious to see the size they reach and number of projects they're entrusted to tackle in the years to come. Canada seems like a great country to do business in the development scene at the moment, the Dorito Pope must be proud.
 
TheDinoman

TheDinoman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,092
My one request is that Nintendo doesn't go full capitalism here and just turn NLG into a Luigi's Mansion factory. Let them make unique stuff as well.
 
Harpoon

Harpoon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,572
Happy to see it made extra-official!

TheDinoman said:
My one request is that Nintendo doesn't go full capitalism here and just turn NLG into a Luigi's Mansion factory. Let them make unique stuff as well.
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While I would love to see Mario Strikers return from dormancy, I am interested in seeing NLG try its hand at a new IP.
 

LostCauseUnite!

Member
Dec 21, 2020
5,066
Really curious to see what they do next. They are like Nintendo's version of Insomniac in a way in how they became part of their platform holder's party of people to prosper a prestigious pedigree of pretty popular games.
 
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