Acting president and co-founder of Next Level Games, Douglas Tronsgard, announces his retirement from the video game industry.
Next Level Games is a Canadian video game developer who is best known for its work with Nintendo. Established in 2002 by Eric Randall and Douglas Tronsgard, it would go on to create several console games, with some most acclaimed titles being for Nintendo. This includes Super Mario spin-offs like the Mario Strikers series to a fully-fledged reboot of Punch-Out!! for the Wii console. Thanks to these titles, Next Level Games became a household name on Nintendo platforms.
In 2014, Next Level Games announced that it would be working exclusively with Nintendo. Since that statement, two games were released under its joint umbrella, those being Metroid Prime: Federation Force on the 3DS and Luigi's Mansion 3 on the Switch. While Federation Force didn't see commercial or critical success, Luigi's Mansion 3 was received enthusiastically and solidified the relationship between Next Level Games and Nintendo. It also managed to win a number of awards at various shows. It wasn't long until Next Level Games was fully acquired by Nintendo last year, where then-CEO Douglas Tronsgard stepped down from his position.
With Tronsgard stepping down from the position, he continued acting as president of the studio until it was fully transitioned and acquired by Nintendo. Recent changes to Tronsgard's LinkedIn page show that once Next Level Games was successfully sold to Nintendo, he would be retiring. This post went up recently, officially announcing his departure from the gaming industry after over 20 years.
Tronsgard thanked the many employees at Next Level Games who he had worked with during his tenure as its CEO and President, and was happy that his journey as an executive in the industry ended with a fulfilling retirement. He also gave very special thanks to Nintendo for believing in Next Level Games and that it was an honor to be a part of the legacy of the company and the publisher.
Tronsgard announced that his retirement will begin by traveling with his wife, and is looking forward to his future. Meanwhile, Next Level Games is continuing its momentum with Nintendo, as the developer recently announced a new entry in the Mario Strikers series, Mario Strikers: Battle League. This is the third entry in the beloved hyper-violent soccer spin-off after Mario Strikers Charged in 2007 for the Wii. Next Level Games is promising plenty of exciting gameplay elements, sidekicks, modes, and even online play for this game as well.
Source: LinkedIn
March 25 is shaping up to be one of the biggest days of the year for co-op gamers, as two major releases are set to launch that day.
Freelance writer and enthusiastic gamer regarding all things Sonic, Mario, Yakuza, Persona, and much more.
