Next Level Games

Next Level Games Inc.
Type	Subsidiary
Founded	August 2002 (21 years ago)
Headquarters	Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
Key people	Douglas Tronsgard (CEO)
Industry	Video games industry
Products	Punch-Out!! (2009) Mario Strikers Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Luigi's Mansion 3 Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Employees	119
Parent	Nintendo
Website	nextlevelgames.com

Next Level Games Inc. is a Canadian video game development company and a subsidiary of Nintendo.

They are best known as the developers behind the Mario Strikers series, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Luigi's Mansion 3, the Punch-Out!! 2009 reboot for the Wii, and Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

Company Overview

Next Level Games was founded on August 2002 in Vancouver. The first title the company developed was NHL Hitz Pro, a game published by Midway Games in 2003. They wouldn't find mainstream success until the release of Super Mario Strikers (or Mario Smash Football in PAL regions) on the GameCube, a soccer game which quickly gained notoriety for its gritty depictions of Super Mario characters. Its popularity would garner a sequel for the Wii, being known as Mario Strikers Charged in 2007. That same year also saw the release of their next licensed game, being Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.

In 2008, NLG partnered with Playful Entertainment to develop two card-based games, which became Ticket to Ride for the Xbox 360 and a video game version of Jungle Speed for the Wii. In 2009, the company released its reboot of Punch-Out!! for the Wii, which was later followed by the spin-off Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, something that was only exclusive to members of Club Nintendo. In 2010 and 2011, the company developed its final licensed games, which were titles in the Transformers, Tom Clancy, and Captain America franchises, all of which were released exclusively on the Wii and published by Activision, Ubisoft, and Sega, respectively.

Next Level Games was once again tasked with another revival, this time for Luigi's Mansion with the release of its sequel Dark Moon on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. On January 9, 2014, the company announced it would work exclusively with Nintendo for the foreseeable future. Two other titles would later release following this announcement, being Metroid Prime: Federation Force for the 3DS in 2016, and Luigi's Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch in 2019.

On January 4, 2021, Nintendo announced that it had purchased Next Level Games. According to them, NLG had been exploring potential sale transactions as they had felt it was the right time to sell its shares. The acquisition was later approved on the following March 1st.

Involvement with Super Smash Bros.

Much of Next Level Game's representation in Smash is tied with Punch-Out!!, as its redesigns of Little Mac, Doc Louis, and the Boxing Ring from the reboot are used in the games. Several music tracks from the 2009 game are also available, as are several characters who cameo as Trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and as Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

NLG's contributions to the Mario spin-offs also make appearances. The Soccer Ball item that first debuted in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is based on its functionality in the Mario Strikers series; if attacked, it will be engulfed in flames and increase its damage output. Mario, Daisy, and Kritter as they appear in Mario Strikers Charged appear as Trophies in Brawl, as do the game's designs of Waluigi and Petey Piranha who appear as Spirits in Ultimate. Music tracks from Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon are also available, while characters from that game, such as Professor E. Gadd, Polterpup, and King Boo, cameo as Trophies and Spirits. The Poltergust that Luigi uses for his Final Smash also uses its design from the game (and later the one from Luigi's Mansion 3 in Ultimate).

A Mech from Metroid Prime: Federation Force also appears as a Spirit in Ultimate, while a direct rip of the game's main theme is available.