Luigis Mansion 3
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo is buying Canadian developer Next Level Games, it has been announced.

The studio – which has created titles such as Luigi's Mansion 3, Mario Strikers Charged, Punch-Out!! and Metroid Prime: Federation Force – will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nintendo.

Next Level – which was established in 2002 – has been working closely with Nintendo for quite some time now, but in the past has also collaborated with the likes of Activision (Transformers: Cybertron Adventures), EA (NFL Hitz Pro) and Sega (Captain America: Super Soldier). However, in recent years, the studio has described itself as a "AAA Nintendo developer" and made it clear that it is focused on Nintendo systems, so the purchase makes a lot of sense from that perspective.

Nintendo states that the acquisition means the company can "secure the availability of Next Level Games development resources, including development expertise” and "facilitate an anticipated improvement in development speed and quality by enabling closer communication and exchange of staff with the Nintendo development team."

The deal is expected to become official on March 1st this year.

[source nintendo.co.jp, via perfectly-nintendo.com]