What Retro Studios does

Retro Studios is a privately held, Austin, Texas-based video game development studio founded in 1998 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nintendo. The studio's mandate is the creation of exclusive, first-party game content for Nintendo's console and handheld platforms, including GameCube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch. Its portfolio centers on two flagship franchises: the Metroid Prime series, which it brought from 2D into a critically acclaimed 3D first-person adventure format beginning in 2002, and the Donkey Kong Country series, which it revived in 2010 after years of dormancy. The studio also contributed to Nintendo EAD's Mario Kart 7 (2011).

Under the hood, Retro Studios has built proprietary technology including a first-person 3D game engine that translated the Metroid universe into a new dimension while preserving its exploration-driven gameplay roots, motion-control integration leveraging the Wii Remote and Nunchuk for pointing, aiming, and grappling mechanics, and signature design systems such as the Morph Ball and Scan Visor. Each shipped title has been a major, multi-year production; the studio has shipped ten or more major titles and accumulated dozens of industry awards, including Game of the Year (Metroid Prime, 2002) and multiple Best Platformer honors for Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014).

Retro Studios has no direct customer relationships and no consumer-facing pricing or distribution of its own. Nintendo serves as exclusive publisher, marketer, and global distributor, meaning revenue flows through game sales royalties and internal allocation within the Nintendo corporate structure. All marketing, retail partnerships, and channel relationships are operated by Nintendo. The studio's customer base is effectively defined as Nintendo platform gamers worldwide, with particular depth among core gaming enthusiasts. Most recently, the studio released Metroid Prime: Remastered in 2023, reissuing a back-catalog title for the Nintendo Switch with updated graphics, sound, and controls.

Name

Retro Studios

Legal name

Retro Studios Inc.

Website

https://retrostudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Retro Studios is a Nintendo-owned, Austin, Texas-based game development studio founded in 1998 that creates exclusive AAA titles for Nintendo platforms, including the Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country franchises. All games are published and distributed by Nintendo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Game Development

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console) (MPAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)

Keywords

• Video game development
• Nintendo exclusive games
• First-person adventure games
• Platforming game series
• 3D game engine

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Game Development for Nintendo: Retro Studios develops video games that are published and distributed by Nintendo. Revenue is generated through game sales on Nintendo platforms (GameCube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Nintendo Switch).
2. Game Sales Royalties: As a subsidiary studio of Nintendo, Retro Studios earns royalties from the commercial sales of their developed titles.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Retro Studios develops video games exclusively for Nintendo platforms, creating titles in the Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country franchises. The studio designs and ships proprietary first-person adventure games and platformers, which are published and distributed worldwide by Nintendo. Retro Studios also co-developed Mario Kart 7 with Nintendo EAD for the Nintendo 3DS.

Product overview

Retro Studios is a video game development studio that creates games exclusively for Nintendo platforms. Their portfolio spans two major franchises: the Metroid Prime series (Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid Prime Trilogy, and Metroid Prime: Remastered) featuring Samus Aran's interstellar bounty hunter adventures, and the Donkey Kong Country series (Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) offering cooperative platforming gameplay. The studio also co-developed Mario Kart 7 with Nintendo EAD. Games are released across multiple Nintendo platforms including GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metroid Prime The original GameCube first-person action-adventure that introduced Samus Aran's 3D world exploration through planet Tallon IV with signature mechanics including Morph Ball, Thermal and Scan Visors, and various Power Suit upgrades.
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes A GameCube action-adventure where Samus Aran explores the light and dark worlds of planet Aether, featuring Dark and Light Beams and a multiplayer combat mode.
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption The Wii sequel to Metroid Prime featuring Wii Remote point-and-aim controls for first-person shooting and Grapple Beam mechanics.
• Metroid Prime Trilogy A deluxe package containing all three Metroid Prime adventures for Wii in a single release with updated graphics and controls.
• Metroid Prime: Remastered A remastered version of Samus Aran's 3D platforming debut featuring revamped graphics, sound, updated control schemes, and unlockable art.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns An all-new platforming adventure for Wii where players control Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in cooperative two-player play across Donkey Kong Island.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D A 3D platformer for Nintendo 3DS featuring classic Donkey Kong Country gameplay with cooperative multiplayer via local wireless.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze A critically acclaimed platforming adventure featuring six unique islands, dynamic gameplay with new abilities and camera angles, available on Nintendo Switch with Funky Mode.
• Mario Kart 7 A Mario Kart racing game for Nintendo 3DS featuring drive, dive, and glide mechanics with online multiplayer for up to 8 players worldwide, co-developed with Nintendo EAD.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple Game of the Year awards including Game Developers Choice Awards 2002 Game of the Year for Metroid Prime
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Nintendo EADcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Retro Studios collaborated with Nintendo EAD to develop Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011. Retro Studios contributed characters and ideas from Donkey Kong Country Returns to this installment of the classic Mario Kart franchise.
• NintendoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNintendo is both the parent company and publishing partner of Retro Studios. Founded in 1989 as a subsidiary, Retro Studios develops games exclusively for Nintendo platforms. Nintendo handles all publishing, marketing, and distribution of Retro Studios games worldwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• FromSoftware: Japanese AAA studio behind Dark Souls and Elden Ring, now owned by Kadokawa/Sony minority stake. Comparable to Retro Studios as a premium Japanese/Asia-rooted console game studio with multiple flagship franchises, though FromSoftware publishes multi-platform rather than exclusively.

Direct peers

• 343 Industries: Microsoft-owned studio that develops the Halo franchise, a flagship first-person action series analogous to Metroid Prime. Directly comparable as a wholly-owned first-party console studio with a single major franchise.
• Insomniac Games: Sony-owned AAA studio behind Ratchet & Clank and Spider-Man. Comparable as a wholly-owned subsidiary producing high-profile platform/action exclusives for a single console ecosystem.
• Sucker Punch Productions: Sony-owned studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and the inFamous series. Comparable as a smaller, wholly-owned AAA studio producing premium single-player console exclusives under a platform-holder parent.
• Santa Monica Studio: Sony-owned AAA studio that developed God of War. Closely comparable to Retro Studios in being a first-party platform-holder studio producing flagship narrative action games exclusively for one console ecosystem.
• Guerrilla Games: Sony-owned studio behind Horizon Zero Dawn and Killzone. Comparable as a first-party platform-holder studio producing premium AAA console exclusives including flagship action franchises.
• Naughty Dog: Sony-owned AAA console game development studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us. Directly comparable to Retro Studios as a wholly-owned subsidiary of a platform holder producing premium, single-player, narrative-driven console exclusives.
• The Initiative: Microsoft-owned AAA studio developing Perfect Dark, a flagship first-person action title. Comparable to Retro Studios as a platform-holder-owned studio working on premium first-person action IP.
• Monolith Soft: Nintendo-owned studio that developed Xenoblade Chronicles. Most directly comparable peer as a fellow Nintendo subsidiary studio producing flagship exclusive RPGs/AAA titles within Nintendo's first-party portfolio.

Emerging players

• PlatinumGames: Independent Japanese AAA studio behind Bayonetta and NieR. Comparable to Retro Studios as a Japanese-rooted premium action game studio, though PlatinumGames is independent rather than platform-holder-owned.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retro-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retro Studios