The Kirby creator isn't ruling out creating games for Nintendo some time down the line.
In the recent issue of Japan's Nintendo Dream magazine, Kirby creator and recently turned ex-employee of HAL, Masahiro Sakurai, said in an interview that he and NCL president Satoru Iwata have parted on good terms. Iwata was a bit disappointed with the decision, but understood Sakurai's position and decided that it was the best for all around that he moved on.
Sakurai also mentioned in the interview that he wouldn't totally rule out making a game for Nintendo sometime down the road, telling his fans to be optimistic for his future.
As for what's left of HAL Labs, the development studio, rumored to be closed, is actually just moving shop to another location. Originally housed on the eighth floor of the so-called Pokémon building (the first floor of which is Pokémon Center Tokyo), HAL's new home will be in another location within the city.