They were effectively in house anyway, so why not?
Nintendo released news of a small acquisition overnight that is expected to have a quick turnaround time.
Systems Research and Development Company or SRD Co., a technically independent company who originally handled core programming work for the games developed by the former EAD team at Nintendo, has agreed to be formally acquired by Nintendo with the deal slated to close April 1. The cost is minimal - the capital stock is valued at 50 million yen - and according to Nintendo's release (PDF) the acquisition will only have a "minor effect on Nintendo's results". The company's corporate address was the same as Nintendo's.
SRD is headed by Toshihiko Nakago, who was the original programmer of games for Nintendo dating back to the Famicom / NES port of Donkey Kong in 1983. Late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata called the trio of Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, and Nakago a "Golden Triangle" for the success of projects they worked on together which included the original Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.
