Nintendo to acquire CG animation studio Dynamo Pictures to turn IP into film and TV

Super Mario is among Nintendo’s best-known IP

Nintendo is set to acquire Japanese animation company Dynamo Pictures as it seeks to develop more content based on its IP.

The 100% acquisition of the Tokyo-based company is expected to close on October 3 and will result in it being renamed Nintendo Pictures. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

Nintendo said the purchase would allow it to “focus on development of visual content utilising Nintendo IP,” which includes iconic characters such as Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Pikmin and Link, the protagonist from The Legend of Zelda.

Nintendo also co-owns the Pokémon franchise and is already working on an upcoming, as-yet-untitled animated Mario film starring Chris Pratt that will be released in 2023.

Dynamo Pictures creates CG animation for films, TV, video games and commercials, including anime series such as Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 and Monster Strike. It has previously worked with Nintendo on projects such as Metroid: Other M and a series of Pikmin short films.