Remember last year when Bandai Namco announced a new in-house development team 'Studio 2 & Studio S' for commissioned projects - with Nintendo series like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart seemingly a big part of the plans? After advertising for multiple roles, it appears there's been a small development.
As spotted by 'Stealth' on social media platform 'X', it looks like certain roles tied to "Nintendo games" are no longer being promoted, which suggests Nintendo has "probably" filled these positions.
There have been all sorts of rumours tied to this studio (from Kid Icarus to another Smash) and what it could potentially be working on. One rumour (dating back to 2022) claimed a remaster or remake of a 3D action game by Nintendo could be making a return.
This latest development follows the news Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai has now shot his final YouTube video for his channel. And based on some comments he made dating back to last year, he's still in the business of "creating games"...
In case you missed Bandai Namco's studio announcement last November, here's a translated description from its official website. It was directly stated in some job descriptions at the time how certain projects would be "commissioned by Nintendo".
"BANDAI NAMCO Studio 2nd Studio/S Studio has been an in-house studio specializing in commissioned development projects. "SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE" "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" "Mario Kart Tour" We have cooperated in the development of many world-standard titles."
With the Switch "successor" on the horizon, what do you think this Bandai Namco team might have planned? Leave your thoughts in the comments.