Nintendo Switch Feature Is Going Away on June 10

Highlights

Nintendo is discontinuing Twitter integration on Switch, affecting ability to share screenshots and videos directly to the social media platform.
Some major games like Splatoon 2 and 3 will be affected, and players will have to manually upload images to share on Twitter.
Nintendo did not offer reasons for discontinuing Twitter support, though there are similarities to Sony’s move earlier with PlayStation consoles.

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.

Nintendo Hints at What the Switch 2 Will Look Like

Shortly after confirming when it will reveal the Switch 2, Nintendo drops a major hint about what its next console will look like.

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.

When Is Nintendo Discontinuing Twitter Functionality?

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 manually by downloading them off of the Switch and onto a computer or smart device if they want to post them to social media. Meanwhile, Splatoon 2 will no longer display player-created posts in the Square. Instead, the spots for player posts will be replaced with pre-created characters and images. Outside the Splatoon titles, image and video sharing to Facebook from the Switch Album will be unaffected, though Nintendo cautioned that the functionality may be removed “at a later date.”

Nintendo did not offer an explanation for why it is discontinuing its support for Twitter on the Nintendo Switch. Some reactions online, however, pointed out that the company’s move matches that made by Sony, which removed Twitter integration on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in November 2023. Some commentators speculated that the rising cost of access to Twitter’s API (a key part of enabling Twitter functionality in external programs) is to blame for the recent wave of companies withdrawing Twitter support.