Netflix is to stop all service to Nintendo’s 3DS and Wii U consoles from the 30th of June.
The Netflix app can no longer be downloaded on either console, but Nintendo’s support website confirms that those who already have the app will still be able to use it until June 30th.
But can we still get it elsewhere?
By itself this is not an immense surprise – both the 3DS and the Wii U are well past their half-life as consoles. Production of the Wii U ceased in 2017, and likewise the 3DS was discontinued in 2020. However, this throws into stark relief the fact that Netflix is still unavailable on the Nintendo Switch.
The Switch is not totally bereft of streaming services. Since 2017, it has made the Hulu app available to download for US users, while users in its mother country of Japan can download Japanese streaming app NicoNico. However, this leaves it far behind its competitors from Sony and Microsoft – both of which host a wider variety of streaming services, including big-dog Netflix.
Why no Netflix?
In 2018, Netflix publicly claimed they were ‘still exploring the opportunity’ of bringing their app to the Switch. However, fully three years on, this seems increasingly unlikely.
Correction: We are still exploring the opportunity with Nintendo, but don't have definitive plans to share at this time. The incorrect original tweet has been removed.
— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) January 15, 2018
Particularly curious is the fact that tie-in games for two Netflix properties, Stranger Things 3: The Game and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – Tactics, have made their way to the Switch. And the app was on the 3DS and Wii U, so it can be inferred that this stems from some issue other than personal animosity between Netflix and Nintendo.
Intellectual properties have, too, flowed the other way. Netflix has featured many adaptations of video games, most notably The Witcher, with more in the works – although notably, none of them are from Nintendo’s back catalogue. However, it would be a bold move indeed to try and improve on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.
READ MORE: New Switch Games of 2021: All The Release Dates
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