Revealed: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Developer Emerges

Tantalus Media, renowned for its work on Nintendo remasters like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD, has been unveiled as the developer behind the upcoming Luigi's Mansion 2 HD for the Nintendo Switch. Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS as Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, the game follows Luigi's quest to capture King Boo by collecting fragments of the Dark Moon across Evershade Valley's haunted mansions.

Announced last September during a Nintendo Direct, and confirmed for a June 27th release this March, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD has generated considerable anticipation. Recent reveals included the game's file size and a new trailer highlighting its storyline. While details remained tight-lipped until now, VGC recently reported Tantalus Media's involvement, confirmed through the game's credits. This marks a shift from the original developer, Next Level Games.

Tantalus Media's portfolio also includes the Nintendo Switch port of Sonic Mania, the PC port of House of the Dead, and contributions to the Age of Empires 1-3 Definitive Editions. Early reviews of Luigi's Mansion 2 HD are positive, praising it as a high-quality remaster in line with recent Nintendo releases like Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. However, the game has unfortunately experienced pre-order issues similar to Paper Mario, with Walmart canceling some orders.

The late reveal of Tantalus Media follows a pattern for Nintendo, mirroring the late announcement of the Super Mario RPG remake's developer, ArtePiazza. Similarly, the developer of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Fury remains undisclosed, suggesting Nintendo may continue this practice for future releases. Nevertheless, the confirmation of Tantalus Media as the developer behind Luigi's Mansion 2 HD arrives just days before its launch.