Nintendo keeps studio behind Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood a secret, but confirms "original staff" from the RPG's bankrupt developer are involved

Nintendo is once again staying tight-lipped about the studio behind one of its upcoming games - this time, the company declined to confirm who's making Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

The Mario & Luigi RPG spin-off series hasn't received a new game in nine whole years, partly because the series' original developers AlphaDream went bankrupt in 2019 after releasing seven turn-based games about our Italian brother's joint dream-incepting, time-travelling, Bowser-entering adventures. During June 2024's Nintendo Direct, the publisher announced that the duo would be making a comeback across "seafaring islands" in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, coming November 7, but stopped short of confirming who was behind the latest romp.

When asked about which studio is behind the game, Nintendo gave a now-familiar answer to Game File: "Some of the original developers who worked on the franchise are involved in the development of Mario & Luigi: Brothership. For more information about the developers, please stay tuned to the game credits at release."

Nintendo has been oddly secretive about the developers behind some of its third-party games, as it refused to credit the Super Mario RPG studio pre-release. This became a major talking point when Nintendo similarly wouldn't confirm Good Feel as the developers behind this year's Princess Peach: Showtime, despite the studio's stellar reputation. 

Nintendo's secretive habit is definitely unusual in an industry that normally shares such information via a press release or a logo at the end of trailers. Maybe the company wants to retain a Disney-esque air of mystery around its releases as if these magical games grow on even more magical trees. But, hey, turning your developers into selling points isn't a bad thing - knowing Christopher Nolan directed Oppenheimer didn't hurt the box office, right?

For now, check out all the upcoming Nintendo Switch games you should keep an eye out.