Xbox Game Pass Could be Coming to Nintendo Switch

Microsoft increases its S-link with Nintendo.

News by Matt Kim, News Editor

Updated on 21 February 2019

Nintendo and Microsoft have been working together more and more frequently in recent years. But now there reports that suggest Xbox's popular Game Pass subscription service could be coming to the Nintendo Switch complete with Microsoft games.

Direct Feed Games, which has previously been accurate with Microsoft and Nintendo rumors, say that Microsoft's Game Pass could be coming to Switch soon. What's more, the Switch will be able to stream some of the more powerful games, bypassing any hardware limitations.

The news says that Microsoft is looking into directly publishing some of its games on the Switch alongside Game Pass. One game specifically mentioned is Ori and the Blind Forest, a low-profile Microsoft exclusive that would fit very well in Nintendo's library.

Microsoft is not shy about wanting to bring Game Pass to other platforms. Xbox head Phil Spencer said that Microsoft wants Game Pass on every platform, including PC and mobile. But Game Pass coming to the Switch wouldn't be that shocking considering how Microsoft plans to bring Xbox Live to the Switch also.

Nintendo and Microsoft have been working pretty closely with each other as of late. The Xbox and Switch support cross-platform games together on a variety of high-profile titles like Minecraft and Rocket League, and back in the early days Microsoft even wanted to buy Nintendo outright.

As Microsoft pursues an increasingly agnostic approach to hardware, Nintendo seems receptive to working with the Xbox company on matters that come to games. We expect to learn more about these developments at GDC next month when Microsoft details more of its plans to expand Xbox Live.

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Matt Kim

News Editor

Matt Kim is a former freelance writer who's covered video games and digital media. He likes video games as spectacle and is easily distracted by bright lights or clever bits of dialogue. He also once wrote about personal finance, but that's neither here nor there.

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