Nintendo Switch Ditches X/Twitter Integration, Following Industry Trend

Nintendo ADR NTDOY will no longer support X/Twitter integration on Switch as of June 10, 2024, mirroring similar actions by PlayStation and Xbox in 2023.

The move, announced on Nintendo’s support website, primarily affects the ability to directly share screenshots and videos to X, formerly known as Twitter, from the console, IGN reported.

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This decision came amidst X’s increased charges for business use of its API, the tool allowing third-party developers to access its data.

While Nintendo hasn’t explicitly stated the reason for this change, it’s speculated that the high cost of maintaining integration, estimated at around $42,000 per month for major companies like Nintendo, Sony Group Corp. SONY, and Microsoft Corp. MSFT, influenced the decision.

Interestingly, Nintendo will still support Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Facebook integration, as Facebook doesn’t impose charges for API usage.

In response, X emphasized its commitment to improving the gaming community’s experience on its platform and highlighted its ongoing partnership with Nintendo.

“The gaming community is one of the largest and most vibrant communities on our platform, and we are dedicated to enhancing and supporting gaming-related features. As part of Nintendo’s planned discontinuation of sharing content to X from the Nintendo Switch, from June 11th, users will need to download Switch gameplay media directly to their smartphones and share it natively on our platform,” X stated in a post.

The company also reassured users that it is working with Nintendo to ensure a smooth transition and will continue collaborating with partners to introduce new gaming experiences.

Despite X’s API changes in March 2023 and subsequent removals of integration by Microsoft and Sony in November, neither company explicitly attributed the decision to the API changes.

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