With E3 2019 now coming to an end, it’s not the upcoming games that are getting a lot of attention, but rather the subscription and streaming services that developers and gaming firms are working on.
Joining that long list, currently dominated by the likes of Xbox Game Pass and Google Stadia at the moment, is Nintendo. Well, kind of, as recently appointed Nintendo president for North America – Doug Bowser – gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter alluding to the company looking into a streaming service in future.
With the likes of Ubisoft and Square Enix also looking into their own services, Nintendo may not have firm plans in place, but also does not want to appear as if they’re not at least considering it.
“We’ve seen a strong model that allows us to offer that catalog along with new content. From a subscription standpoint, one example we do have is Nintendo Switch Online, which not only provides access to online services and ability to play with your friends online, but also provides cloud save data backup and Nintendo Entertainment System which allows you to have a catalog of great NES games, some of which have been remastered or remade to allow for online play. I think we’re up to 40-plus games and we’re always adding more,” notes Boswer.
Adding to the Nintendo North America president’s words was company executive Charlie Scibetta, who spoke with TechCrunch on the E3 2019 floor.
“Streaming is certainly interesting technology,” he told the publication.
“Nintendo is keeping a close eye on it and we’re evaluating it. We don’t have anything to announce right now in terms of adopting that technology. For us, it’s still physical and it’s digital downloads through our eShop,” he added.
Reading between the lines, while neither confirmed specific streaming plans, it would seem that all the necessary pieces are in place – a vast catalogue of games, a dedicated fanbase, and an Online marketplace. As such adding streaming functionality would be the final piece of the puzzle.
If Nintendo does intend to launch such a service though, they’ll be going up against some tough competition in a quickly saturating market.
