Or any other game streaming services.
We can all agree that Xbox’s Cloud Gaming service is fantastic for gaming away from your Xbox or PC. That’s a given. However, it doesn’t look like Nintendo wants to see the service make its way to the Nintendo Switch.
According to a conversation between game industry analysts David Gibson and Mat Piscatella, Nintendo told David Gibson that they wouldn’t put any other cloud streaming services on to the Switch.
Would make a lot of sense @MatPiscatella , but I have had @Nintendo tell me directly they would not put other streaming services on the Switch. Lost opportunity…… https://t.co/Qbs97Z2Ugn
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) April 21, 2021
Now, there’s a couple of reasons I can think of why Nintendo wants to keep the Xbox Cloud Gaming service off of the Switch. For starters, Nintendo is working with Ubitus, who has been helping bring games such as Phantasy Star Online 2, Resident Evil 7, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and more recently, Control: Ultimate Edition Cloud Version. The relationship between those two companies started back in 2018, and last we heard, Nintendo was looking to bring more AAA games to the Switch using this streaming service.
Another thing to think about is by placing the service on the Switch, Xbox extends its reach and could potentially eat into Nintendo profits. Instead of having developers and publishers pushing out games for Switch, they could see that dry up if these same games were already playable via another streaming service. That’s just a thought, but it does make sense. It also could be that they don’t want to share the profits. If the Xbox streaming service landed on the Switch, it wouldn’t be for free.
At the same time, it sounds like it would be a win for both Xbox and Nintendo. Xbox would continue to sell the Xbox Game Pass ultimate, while Nintendo Switch owners get access to a vast library of games they normally couldn’t get on the Switch. As a gamer, that’s a great opportunity. But as a company, I suppose I’d feel some kind of way if I was advertising to buy my hardware just to play my competitor’s games.
That’s not to say we may never see Xbox’s cloud streaming service on a Nintendo platform. It wouldn’t be the first time Nintendo has said one thing and then walked it back. For now, we can only wait and see if Nintendo’s decision changes down the road.
