The End of Nintendo’s Online Support: A Wake-Up Call for Gaming Alliances in China

It has been conveyed that Nintendo announced a termination of its online services for the Nintendo Switch in China.

This may sometimes seem like a significant shift with a marked effect on the console’s presence in China, but in reality, it isn’t. I aim to explore what this situation entails as thoroughly as I can, given that it fundamentally pertains to one of the topics I frequently discuss and analyze: console market dynamics within China.

To begin, it’s wise to examine the official announcement from the source: Tencent’s website for the Chinese Switch. The entire content is in Chinese, but thankfully automated translations have improved considerably at this point in time, so this should not pose an issue for most individuals.

From the announcement, we see that the “Nintendo Switch in China will gradually cease the Nintendo e-shop and other network-related operating services from March 31, 2026, to May 15, 2026.” Furthermore, Nintendo/Tencent will reportedly be “…introducing a ‘reward plan’ for all Nintendo Switch users in China.”

Nintendo did not make the decision to cut short the lifespan of the Switch in China.

That reward initiative includes four redeemable, downloadable games from the Chinese e-Shop, which means only users with an associated mainland Chinese WeChat ID will be able to claim these games (WeChat is owned by Tencent, for reference).

The list of available games consists of only a select few that have been licensed for publishing and distribution in mainland China. It is a rather limited list, although it does include some well-regarded titles (which most Switch users likely already own).

As I have been hinting at, Tencent is heavily involved in the distribution of the Chinese Nintendo Switch. If you are left wondering why I am attributing the console a national identity, it is because the gaming market in China is largely divided between games that are licensed for publication/distribution/commercialization within the country, and those that are not. I have written extensively on this topic. Furthermore, back in 2021, I specifically addressed the distribution deal made between Tencent and Nintendo for the Switch in China. That related article provides some context that remains pertinent.

For those not inclined to read all that, let me summarize: in terms of consoles and their respective games, a significant portion of the Chinese market consists of imported products, both physical and digital. Most PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles sold in the country are imported and widely available through e-commerce platforms.

These SKUs compete directly with Chinese licensed products in the same market segments. Most consoles and imported physical games come from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, with a small percentage from other regions. While it is true that China is boosting sales for all these markets, that is another topic altogether.

Digital games, when sold via imported consoles using accounts from other countries, are also technically considered imported purchases.

This occurs primarily because very few games actually obtain a publishing license for mainland China (due to stringent regulations), prompting many (if not most) consumers to prefer purchasing imported, region-free consoles that are easily accessible at competitive prices. Officially licensed consoles typically have at least some of their online services region-locked, thereby significantly restricting the capabilities of their users. For the purpose of this article, I will not delve into PC and mobile gaming.

And so we return to the issue at hand concerning Tencent’s Nintendo Switch…

Why is this occurring now?

Every non-Chinese gaming studio, developer, and producer looking to conduct business directly in mainland China is mandated by law to have a Chinese partner. This means they need a Chinese company to manage their operations within the country. For a game wishing to formally and legally release in China, it requires a Chinese developer to oversee its operation there. This is a complex issue, but it essentially reflects how the system functions.

For the distribution and operation of the Switch, Nintendo collaborated with Tencent and officially launched the console in China in 2019, two and a half years after its global introduction.

I do not claim to understand all the intricacies of the agreement between Tencent and Nintendo, but I have enough knowledge from my experiences in the publishing sector in China, as well as from conversations, to recognize that distribution deals like this one typically operate similarly to publishing agreements. They are contractually established, timelines are set in advance, financial/sales targets are defined, and technical operations are entirely managed by the Chinese side. In this instance, that would be Tencent.

Nintendo did not choose to shorten the lifespan of the Switch in China.

This is the crucial point that people observing from outside China often fail to grasp. And indeed, this does effectively shorten the lifespan of the Chinese licensed console within the country. Even with speculation that Nintendo will likely unveil the Switch 2 in 2025, and possibly release it the following year, it is hard to comprehend online services for the console being dissolved as soon as 2026 in most markets. Typically, consoles continue to receive support long after the introduction of their next iterations.

The Chinese Switch, just like the Chinese PS5 or the Chinese Xbox, does not reflect the long-term visions of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. They are, essentially, the aspirations of their Chinese counterparts.

Online support is being phased out in China due to Tencent and/or relevant Chinese parties. This is not an accusation—it’s simply a fact that Tencent manages the console and its digital services in China, and thus this unexpected announcement results from whatever circumstances are unfolding in Tencent’s domain.

We do not yet know why this is happening, as of this writing. Several somewhat well-substantiated speculations have circulated on Chinese platforms from various sources, but thus far, the prevailing theory is that one of Tencent’s partners can no longer continue providing online services.

This information has been reported (but not confirmed) by one of the most reliable online sources for information on Nintendo in China, Chinese Nintendo on X.

The Chinese Nintendo account (not affiliated with Nintendo) stated that “TNS online service was run by a long-time partner of Nintendo, but said partner would no longer be available due to their recent changes in their business operations in China.”

This seems to be a plausible and reasonable explanation, although many specifics remain unclear. Additionally, I might speculate that the agreement between Tencent and Nintendo