Nintendo couldn’t let go of Luigi’s Mansion 3 developer Next Level Games

Nintendo announced overnight that it is acquiring Luigi’s Mansion 3 developer Next Level Games. The Vancouver-based studio will join Nintendo’s first-party teams like Retro Studios and Nintendo Software Technology as a wholly owned subsidiary. The deal should close in March for an undisclosed sum.

So did the recent deluge of acquisitions push Nintendo to make a move of its own? Not exactly. The demand for both acquisitions and for gaming content has pushed up the value of studios and publishers. On top of that, Next Level Games is coming off of a massive hit in Luigi’s Mansion 3, which GamesBeat reviews editor Mike Minotti likes. That game has surpassed 8 million copies sold. It was the No. 15 best-seller in the United States in November, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. That put it ahead of more recent releases, like Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima.