Nintendo Switch ending online support exposes fragility of gaming partnerships in China | Opinion
It has been reported that Nintendo announced a discontinuation of its online services for the Nintendo Switch in China.
This might seem like a very dramatic development with a profound impact on the console's life in China, but actually, it's not. I want to try to explain what this means as best as I can, as it fundamentally concerns one of the topics I most recurrently write about and comment on: console market dynamics in China.
First, it is wise to look at the actual announcement from the source: Tencent's webpage for the Chinese Switch. It's all in Chinese, but thankfully automatic translations are actually pretty good nowadays, so that shouldn't be an issue for most people.
We can read that the "Nintendo Switch in China will gradually stop the Nintendo e-shop and other network-related operating services from March 31, 2026 to May 15, 2026." Plus, Nintendo/Tencent will be "…launching a 'reward plan' for all Nintendo Switch users in China."
Nintendo did not make the decision to cut short the life of the Switch in China
That reward plan includes four redeemable, downloadable games from the Chinese e-Shop, meaning only users with an associated mainland Chinese WeChat ID will be able to redeem said games (WeChat is owned by Tencent, by the way).
The list of games available includes only some that have been licensed for publishing and distribution in mainland China. It is a very meager list, although it does include some very good titles (that most Switch users already own).
As I've been alluding to, Tencent is very much involved in the distribution of the Chinese Nintendo Switch. If you're wondering why I'm giving the console its own nationality, that is because the gaming market in China is greatly composed of content that is licensed for publishing/distribution/commercialization in the country, and content that is not. I have written on the subject extensively. Also, back in 2021 I wrote specifically about the distribution deal made between Tencent and Nintendo for the
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