Nintendo Acquires Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, Rumored Original Metroid Prime 4 Dev, to “Strengthen Development Structure”

Nintendo has announced that they have entered a transfer agreement of shares with Bandai Namco Studios Singapore (BNSS), which will now operate under the new name Nintendo Studios Singapore Pte. Ltd as a subsidiary of Nintendo. This new addition is for the “purpose of strengthening its development structure.”

Pending approval of conditions of acquisition of shares, Nintendo will take 80% of Bandai Namco Studios Singapore shares on April 1st, 2026. The remaining shares will be acquired at a later date once operations have stabilized.

Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, founded in March 2013, is no stranger to Nintendo. They developed the in-game art assets for the Splatoon series, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, and Pokkén Tournament for Wii U and Switch.

Most interestingly, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was rumored to be originally developed by BNSS, before Nintendo announced in 2019 that they would be restarting from scratch with Retro Studios, who developed the first three Metroid Prime games. However, despite being involved in the original production of the game, BNSS was excluded from Prime 4’s final credits.

If you are looking for a more in-depth timeline of the production of Metroid Prime 4, check out our own Andy Spiteri’s article detailing how intertwined the history of Omega Metroid is with this long-awaited sequel.

Could this mean exciting new opportunities for future games or just a way for Nintendo to have more control over future developments? Let us know in the comments below your thoughts on this acquisition!

Source: Nintendo

Playing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond? Check out our guides and latest podcast episodes.

Sam Spiteri

Inaugural Metroid Blast player at the Omega Metroid Marathon, staff writer, fur mama to Link and Zozo, and plant lover of all flowers and greenery.