Xbox Live Coming to Nintendo Switch

No, you didn’t read that headline wrong. Microsoft’s Xbox Live is coming to the Nintendo Switch, per a recent listing from the upcoming Game Developer’s Conference. The news comes courtesy of a description for Microsoft’s presentation during the show. Is this the start of a new era of cooperation between Microsoft and Nintendo?

Xbox Live Coming to Nintendo Switch

The News

This news, as stated previously, comes from a description from the upcoming Game Developer’s Conference. That description reads “Get a first look at the SDK to enable game developers to connect players between iOS, Android, and Switch in addition to Xbox and any game in the Microsoft Store on Windows PCs.”

The description mentions that this “will break down barriers for developers that want their communities to mingle more freely across platforms.” Well, that sounds like good news for gaming in general, if you ask us!

What This Means

Does this mean we can expect to play Halo 5 on our Nintendo Switch? Maybe, but that’s not necessarily set in stone. What it definitely means, for now, is that we can expect to see cross-platform play remain a huge aspect of Microsoft’s initiatives.

The company has been making huge pushes to keep gaming as integrated as possible following the rough launch of the Xbox One. Huge pushes for initiatives like the Adaptive Controller and cross-platform play with Nintendo has won massive respect for the company that was lost with the DRM fiascos when the Xbox One launched.

We could expect to see support for Xbox Live achievements, friends lists, messaging and indie titles appearing on Switch and mobile devices. This would allow devices that aren’t typically known for their communications-based multiplayer to branch out into more “core” gaming experiences.

A Modern Nintendo Online?

Nintendo’s own online service is required to play any competitive online multiplayer and runs for about $20 per year. The service also grants access to emulations of some classic NES games. However, the service lacks achievements, messaging and voice communications that are considered hallmarks of modern online gaming.

Could Microsoft’s Xbox Live service be the solution to this issue? While many players simply own both a Switch and an Xbox or PS4, it’s still strange that Nintendo hasn’t made online multiplayer a bigger part of their brand. Microsoft’s announcement could mean that the days of bare-bones online features on Nintendo systems is coming to an end!