Nintendo Switch Feature Is Going Away on June 10

A minor but often used online feature of the Nintendo Switch, Twitter integration, is going away soon. Nintendo announced that it will discontinue the functionality in a matter of weeks, affecting users who employ the feature to share screenshots and gameplay videos from their Nintendo Switch on a major social media platform.

For years, many video games and game platforms have used features tied to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to give players an in-game connection to their real-world friends and followers. The PS3 multiplayer spin-off The Last of Us: Factions incorporated the ability to link a person's PlayStation Network and Facebook accounts to populate a player's game with names from their list of friends and family. Granblue Fantasy, the browser-based parent game of Granblue Fantasy Relink, heavily incorporated Twitter posts into its matchmaking system, allowing players to post online and have others help them overcome the game's toughest challenges.

For Switch players, though, Twitter integration will disappear in a matter of weeks. The company announced the move via its official Twitter account. In its announcement, Nintendo referred to Twitter by its current name of X, which it took on after Twitter was purchased by billionaire Elon Musk in 2022. It said that on June 10, 2024, players will lose the ability to directly post screenshots and videos to Twitter via the Switch's Album. Social features related to Twitter functionality are also affected, as players will no longer be able to send friend requests to others on Twitter via the Switch's Friend Suggestion feature.

Some major Switch games will also be affected by the decision. In a linked support article, Nintendo said that the ability to post directly to Twitter and Facebook via the Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 in-game mailbox will be removed, though the mailbox itself will remain for in-game posts. Players can still draw and post pictures in Splatoon 3, but will need to upload the images