AlphaDream, the development team behind numerous Mario & Luigi games, has filed for bankruptcy in Japan. Formerly known as AlphaStar, the company had been working as a second-party studio to Nintendo for over 19 years.
Responsible for the planning and development of various Nintendo titles, AlphaDream’s portfolio was jam-packed full of portable classics. Having made their debut with Koto Battle: Tengai no Moribito for Game Boy Colour, the studio then went on to develop multiple titles in the Hamtaro series.
It’s probably AlphaDream’s work on the Mario & Luigi RPG series that will strike a chord with most Nintendo Fans though. As the studio was best known for developing Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Dream Team, Superstar Saga, Paper Jam and Bowser’s Inside Story (amongst many others). Whether follow-up entries in the Mario & Luigi RPG series will survive the company and be picked up by another studio is yet to be seen.
It’s currently unclear what the root cause of the development studio’s downfall was, but with over 19 years experience and a whole host of beloved titles under their belt, it’s certainly sad to see them go.
