Nintendo is removing Twitter / X integration from Switch
It's official: All three major video game consoles are now getting rid of their integrations with Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
On Wednesday, Nintendo became the last of the big gaming companies to announce that gamers would no longer be able to post directly to X via the Nintendo Switch gaming console. Other X-related functions would be dropped as well.
Tweet may have been deleted
"As of June 10, 2024, it will no longer be possible to post screenshots and videos to X (formerly Twitter) from the Nintendo Switch's Album, or send friend requests to social media users via the Friend Suggestions feature," Nintendo of America posted on its official account on X.
With this announcement, X has officially lost direct integrations with all three major video game console companies. Microsoft was the first gaming company to announce it was dropping its X integration in April of last year, with Sony following with a similar announcement in November.
What's being removed
In a more detailed post on its website, Nintendo provided more information about what exactly will be removed from Switch.
Nintendo says gamers will no longer be able to use the feature that allows the posting of screenshots and videos to X from the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu. Nintendo does note, however, that users will still be able to post screenshots and video from Switch directly to Facebook, although that feature may also possibly be removed at a later time.
In addition, sending friend requests to social media users via the Friend Suggestions menu will also be removed.
There are game-specific changes as well. Before this change, it was possible to post to X in Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 via the mailbox option seen in hub worlds like Inkopolis Square. That will no longer be available.
According to Nintendo, Switch users will be able to share screenshots and videos to X by saving the media to the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu and then transferring the data wirelessly to a smart device or by connecting their Switch to a PC via USB cable.
Why Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft dropped X
Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have yet to specifically provide a reason for the removal of X integrations. However, the first company to do so, Microsoft, dropped X shortly after Elon Musk rolled out a new, paid model for its API, which is necessary for these integrations.
Since then, both Sony and Nintendo followed Microsoft's lead in dropping X from its social media integration list.
The new API plans are quite exorbitantly priced, with Enterprise access starting at $42,000 per month. It is very likely, based on how many users Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft gaming consoles have, that their API usage would result in a bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) per month.
This change will likely save Nintendo money with little-to-no blowback. The biggest loser, though? Musk's X, which loses major video game partners and their hundreds of millions of users who were sending free content to X from their gaming consoles.