According to GamesIndustry.biz journalist Chris Dring, Nintendo is apparently in deep talks with outside game development teams about expanding their partnership for the creation of first-party intellectual properties (IP). In an effort to expand the range of companies it works with, the business is currently investigating possible alliances for its next console.
Dring shared insights, stating,
"I also know that Nintendo is actively meeting with independent developers to find new partners. Some of that is around publishing indie games, which Nintendo does from time to time, but it’s also seeking studios that could work on some of its IP."
Nintendo has a track record of working with outside teams, such as Bandai Namco, Grezzo, Platinum Games, Team Ninja, MercurySteam, and WayForward.Despite having a long history of working with other studios, Nintendo is apparently trying to increase the scope of its partnerships. Dring stated,
"But the company is looking to add to that roster, and I know of three studios that are deep in conversation around making games based on Nintendo brands."
Star Fox Zero, Star Fox Guard, and Astral Chain are just a few of the well-known projects Platinum Games has worked on with Nintendo EPD in the past. The collaboration included bringing back the Bayonetta series specifically for the Nintendo system.
The recent remakes of Advance Wars included work from the California-based firm WayForward, showing Nintendo's openness to working with other talent. Nintendo's desire to collaborate with a variety of partners can be seen by the fact that the Spanish studio MercurySteam has contributed to the creation of previous Metroid games.
Although Nintendo has not released any official information about these rumoured partnerships or its upcoming system, it is generally assumed that the company's next-generation device will debut this year. The CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy Kantan Games, Dr Serkan Toto, believes that rather than a radical change in hardware architecture, the new system will probably be an iteration of the current setup.
Shuntaro Furukawa, the president of Nintendo, has stayed silent on the company's plans for the upcoming platform. Industry rumours, however, indicate that developers may already have access to development kits for the upcoming platform, suggesting that Nintendo is aggressively getting ready for launch despite maintaining secrecy about its plans.