Chinese tech giant Tencent (TCEHY) is shutting down its Nintendo Switch services in 2026. This is because its partnership with video game developer and publisher Nintendo (NTDOY) didn’t play out as expected.
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This shutdown won’t happen all at once. Instead, Tencent will slowly remove features from the Chinese Nintendo Switch’s online offerings. Online game sales will halt on March 31, 2026, with redemption codes and online play support ending on May 15, 2026.
What’s Behind the Tencent Nintendo Switch’s End?
The first thing gamers will note is the age of the Nintendo Switch. While it’s still Nintendo’s current console, it’s been around since early 2017. The home/portable console hybrid is showing its age, and Nintendo has confirmed plans to announce a successor before its current Fiscal Year ends on March 31, 2025.
However, Nintendo has also confirmed that the Nintendo Switch’s successor, including its online services, will be backward compatible with the Nintendo Switch. With that in mind, it doesn’t make sense that the Tencent Nintendo Switch would shut off online services just for a new console launch. What’s more likely is poor sales performance is behind the services ending.
Limitations placed on the Chinese version of the console may be behind this. The Tencent Nintendo Switch is region-locked, meaning it can only play games released in China. This places a similar limitation on online play. These restrictions aren’t present on non-Tencent Switches. This created a “grey market” in China for region-free versions of the Nintendo Switch that’s eating into Tencent’s sales. Considering this, it seems unlikely Tencent will distribute the Nintendo Switch successor in China.
Is TCEHY Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Tencent is Moderate Buy based on a single Buy rating over the last three months. This comes with a price target of $65 per share, representing a potential upside of 28.26%.
