Summary
- The Japanese studio Acquire is seemingly helping to develop Mario and Luigi: Brothership.
- Acquire has co-developed games alongside many major companies, previously working on Octopath Traveler.
- Mario and Luigi: Brothership will be released on November 7 for the Nintendo Switch.
Despite secrecy from Nintendo, it has been revealed that Acquire is the developer behind the upcoming RPG Mario and Luigi: Brothership. Since its announcement, there has been a certain mystery surrounding who was working on the game. Although Nintendo hasn't officially disclosed the developer, fans have discovered that Mario and Luigi: Brothership, the latest entry in the brothers' RPG series, is being developed by a third-party studio.
Mario and Luigi is a Nintendo RPG series that began in 2003 with Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. Since then, the series has seen multiple new titles and remakes until it went on hiatus in 2018. During the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, Mario and Luigi: Brothership was revealed, with a release planned for later this year. However, what caught fans' attention was that the original developer, AlphaDream, had shut down in 2019, leaving many to wonder which studio was behind the new RPG.
Mario and Luigi: Brothership Pre-Order Bonus Confirmed, But There's a Catch
Players who preorder the anticipated Mario and Luigi: Brothership game from a specific store receive a pre-order bonus, but there's a catch.
Nintendo has yet to officially reveal the developer of Mario and Luigi: Brothership, but that didn't stop the Twitter account Nintendeal from uncovering the information. The image the user shared makes it clear that Nintendo and Acquire are credited as co-developers of Mario and Luigi: Brothership. Acquire is a well-known Japanese developer who has assisted numerous big companies as a co-developer and has produced games such as Octopath Traveler and Akiba's Beat.
Acquire Is Revealed as the Developer of Mario and Luigi: Brothership
It's unclear why Nintendo has chosen to remain secretive about the developer of Mario and Luigi: Brothership, though this kind of confidentiality is typical for the Japanese company. The only official information from Nintendo is that, while AlphaDream isn't leading Mario and Luigi: Brothership's development, some original team members who worked on the series are involved in the new RPG. Until now, fans had been speculating that it could be Monolith Soft, ILCA, or even an internal Nintendo team taking care of the game.
However, Acquire is no less esteemed than those other companies. The Japanese studio entered the gaming industry with Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, a ninja game that paved the way for other stealth games and inspired modern titles like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Acquire's director and producer of Tenchu, Takuma Endo, has expressed interest in rebooting Tenchu for modern platforms. Still, he admits that such a task is not as simple as putting the game's development in the pipeline.
With Acquire now revealed as the game's developer, many fans are hopeful, praising the company's ability to deliver a great RPG with Octopath Traveler. Mario and Luigi: Brothership is set to launch on November 7 for the Nintendo Switch, and fans will soon be able to judge for themselves if Acquire has lived up to the legacy of the now-defunct AlphaDream.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 68%
- Released
- November 7, 2024
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Acquire
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo






All hands on deck for an island-hopping adventure starring Mario and Luigi
The brothers return for a brand-new adventure on the high seas! Set sail with Mario and Luigi on Shipshape Island (part ship, part island) and journey through the vast world of Concordia. Launch out of Shipshape’s cannon to visit, explore, and quest your way through islands that range from tropical rainforests to bustling cities. Meet new friends along the way, like Connie and Snoutlet (definitely not a pig), and encounter familiar faces from the Mushroom Kingdom like Peach and Bowser, who may help—or hinder—you on your journey!
You’ll have to rely on Mario and Luigi’s brotherly bond to succeed. Use Bros. Moves to get past obstacles while you explore, and powerful Bros. Attacks in a dynamic twist on turn-based combat. You’ll need every edge this “brothership” will give you to save the day!
- Franchise
- Mario & Luigi
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch