$400 Billion Tencent Spearheads Next Week’s Nintendo Switch China Launch
Japan's Nintendo is launching to much fanfare in China, aided by the country's biggest internet company. | Source: Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI /AFP
- Nintendo Switch to launch in China next week.
- Tencent named as official sales representative.
- Pre-orders already top 40,000, hours after announcement.
The Nintendo Switch is set to launch in the Chinese market on Dec. 10, Nintendo announced earlier today.
Nintendo and Tencent Team Up To Launch Switch In China
In a press release published on its corporate portal , the Japanese gaming giant confirmed that Tencent would act as a sales representative for all Switch sales within China. The console will be available for 2,099 yuan RMB, or roughly $300, aligned with the suggested retail price in North America, Europe, and Japan.
Nikon analyst Daniel Ahmad reports that the Nintendo Switch ships with a pre-installed trial version of New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe alongside a one year warranty.
Other confirmed titles are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Odyssey, with pre-purchase priced at 2,099 yuan RMB available for both. No word on when these titles will become available. Ahmad suggests that price point will apply to all future titles.
The Chinese authorities’ notoriously stringent review process may explain why these titles won’t be available at launch next week.
From Tencent’s side, the Chinese company is offering local servers, WeChat Pay functionality, and has developed a Simplified Chinese localization of the Nintendo Switch system software.
AAA and Local Developers
Both Nintendo and Tencent are teaming up with AAA developers and publishers to release third-party titles in the future. Among them, we have Bandai Namco, SEGA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Konami, and more. There are plans to bring 20 titles throughout 2020 to the Chinese market.
A raft of Chinese studios is also working with Nintendo and Tencent on future indie titles for the Nintendo Switch. It’s unclear whether these games will be exclusive to the Chinese market or not.
According to retailer JD.com’s website, who, alongside TMall, Suning, and the Nintendo eShop, are the official distribution partners for both software and hardware, pre-orders have passed the 40,000 mark as of writing.
