"It's no secret that Next Level Games, though it's an independent company, is currently committed exclusively to Nintendo projects - that was stated in early 2014, and nothing since has suggested any change. We'd like to think it's an ambitious project, too, as little has been heard from the company since Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon arrived way back in March 2013.
It seems that the project may indeed be for Wii U, too - cutscene animator Dan Pratezina started working at the company in November 2014, and posted the following a couple of months ago (hat-tip to GoNintendo for catching this):
After over ten years in film and television, I'm working in a gaming pipeline for the first time at Next Level Games, helping previs & animate in-engine cutscenes. Switching pipelines like this is a terrific brain-scramble, the crew is fantastic, and it's a ton of fun being surrounded by Nintendo IP all day. It's making me want a WiiU. Is that weird? Yes, it is. But here we are.
The reason we're pretty confident that this animator has inadvertently revealed the studio's target platform is that he's since gone and made a stealth edit to the post on his website, as you can see in the amended text below.
After over ten years in film and television, I'm working in a gaming pipeline for the first time at Next Level Games, helping previs & animate in-engine cutscenes. Switching pipelines like this is a terrific brain-scramble, the crew is fantastic, and it's a ton of fun being surrounded by Nintendo IP all day.
Edits like this typically occur when you've been caught revealing something you shouldn't - we'd suggest that's the case based on past experience.
Of course the detail is still a mystery, but Next Level Games has proven - with Luigi's Mansion 2 and excellent titles like Punch-Out!! on Wii - that it can be trusted with treasured Nintendo IPs.
What would you like Next Level Games to be working on for Wii U?"
Predictions? Thoughts on the fact that he works for a company that only does Nintendo games and doesn't intend on buying a Wii U? Discuss.
Gamertag, PlayStation Network ID, and Nintendo Network ID: Look at username. Huzzah for originality. 3DS Friend Code: 4038-6546-0886
Currently own PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, and 3DS
