Mystery Solved: Mario & Luigi: Brothership was developed by the studio that made Octopath Traveler

Ever since Nintendo revealed Mario & Luigi: Brothership in June of this year, fans have been wondering which studio was actually working on this colorful new RPG adventure, especially since the company is infamous for keeping this information under wraps. After months of speculation, it seems we finally have a concrete answer.

After many months of theories and speculation, it seems we have a concrete answer. Twitter/X user Nintendeal recently discovered copyright text for Mario & Luigi: Brothership that seems to confirm that Acquire is developing the game. This is the studio behind the Tenchu series and the Octopath Traveler series (which it developed alongside Square Enix). Although, it is important to point out that Nintendo hasn’t officially confirmed this information yet.

Nintendo fans previously thought that ILCA (The studio behind Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, One Piece Odyssey, and Sand Land) was developing Mario & Luigi: Brothership, but this new revelation apparently confirms that they were wrong, and that it was Acquire all along.

Fans reacted to this news with both excitement and relief, since the studio has previous experience with solid turn-based RPGs. Acquire has big shoes to fill, because AlphaDream, the studio that created the Mario & Luigi series and developed all the previous entries, sadly went bankrupt in 2019.

Based on Acquire’s previous experience, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is in good hands

Acquire is not a random small team that Nintendo hired but is actually a remarkable and important development studio within the industry, with tons of previous experience developing iconic and successful video games. Acquire has recorded its entire history on its official website, and it’s quite interesting.

The studio rose to fame with the release of the first two Tenchu games on PlayStation 1, which revolutionized the stealth genre. After that, it went on to develop the Way of the Samurai series on PlayStation 2 and subsequent consoles, but its biggest and most recognizable IP is undoubtedly Octopath Traveler, which it developed in collaboration with Square Enix. These are a pair of critically acclaimed turn-based RPGs that brought back the essence of the classic 2D Final Fantasy games. So, when taking Acquire’s entire history into consideration, it’s evident that Mario & Luigi: Brothership is in great hands, but we won’t be 100% sure until the game launches on Nintendo Switch on November 7.