Behind the Changes of the Domestic Version of Nintendo Switch: Third-Party Service Providers Become the Behind-the-Scenes Factor, and Users Will Be Given Four Games as a Gift | Exclusive from 36Kr Games

Text | Liu Shiwu

Today, the domestic version of Nintendo Switch announced that it will gradually adjust the Nintendo eShop and other network-related operational services starting from March 31, 2026. At the same time, a "Feedback Program" is launched, where all domestic Nintendo Switch users can receive up to 4 free games or software.

Image Source: Tencent Nintendo Switch Official Website

Image Source: Tencent Nintendo Switch Official Website

According to the time plan in the announcement, after 10:00 PM on May 15, 2026, the domestic Nintendo Switch eShop will shut down download, redemption, and other network-related services. The official also emphasized that the sale and after-sales service of related consoles, accessories, and game cartridges, the use of single-player games, and the local multiplayer gameplay function (if any) of the games will not be affected.

In the opinion of many users, this change is rather sudden. Influenced by the news of the Switch domestic official mall changing service providers at the beginning of the year, the market has had many speculations about the future development of the domestic Nintendo Switch in the past six months.

However, there is a reason behind this operational adjustment of the domestic Nintendo Switch.

An informed source exclusively disclosed to "36Kr Games" that this operational adjustment mainly involves network services including multiple key functions such as eShop data verification. These tasks were previously handled by a network service provider that has long-term cooperation with Nintendo, connecting the domestic Nintendo Switch platform and Nintendo respectively. However, due to the recent business changes of this service provider in China, it is unable to continue to undertake these tasks, and Nintendo cannot transfer the related work to a new third party, which forces Tencent, which is responsible for the operation of the domestic Nintendo Switch, to make relevant adjustments.

36Kr Games has sought verification from Tencent regarding this source, but no response has been received as of the time of publication.

The domestic Nintendo Switch was launched at the end of 2019. Tencent disclosed in its financial report in March 2021 that its sales exceeded 1 million units. Although the official has not updated the sales data since then, the domestic Nintendo Switch has still been an important part of the domestic console game market in the past few years.

According to the statistics of the game license numbers issued by the National Press and Publication Administration, the domestic Nintendo Switch has obtained a total of 68 license numbers since its launch. During the same period, the Sony PS4/PS5 and Microsoft XBOX platforms in the domestic market have obtained 34 and 8 license numbers respectively, which also shows the active promotion of Tencent and Nintendo from the side.

"Although the scale of the Chinese console market is not large, certain achievements have been made through the cultivation of various parties in recent years. Especially the Switch, it is the only one of the three major console platforms that has announced a million sales in the domestic market." A domestic developer told "36Kr Games", "It is obvious to see the warming trend of the market this year. It is very regretful to have this change at this time."

For this change, the relatively good news is that most of the games on the Switch are single-player games or local multiplayer cooperative games that do not require network functions. Therefore, the adjustment at the network service level has a relatively limited impact on the gaming experience of the vast majority of users. At the same time, the "up to 4 free games or software for domestic users" mentioned in the announcement is estimated to have a total value of more than 1,000 yuan, which is also a considerable compensation for users.

As a console platform that has been on the market globally for nearly 8 years, the Switch is in the final stage of its life cycle. Considering that Nintendo has confirmed that it will announce the successor of the Switch before March 31, 2025 (fiscal year 2024), there may be a certain connection with this change in terms of the inclination and emphasis in various tasks.

"Nintendo has very high requirements for developers and service providers. If the rumors are true, it is obviously necessary to consume additional resources and energy to find a third-party service provider that meets its standards. But as the Switch of this console generation, it is not the current focus of Nintendo's work."

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This article was first published on the "36Kr Games" official account.