Tencent Could Be Paving The Way For Nintendo Switch In China

Video game giant Tencent, which is bringing over its popular MOBA Arena of Valor to Nintendo Switch, may have more plans to work with Nintendo.

According to Wall Street Journal, people “familiar with the thinking of Nintendo and Tencent executives” said the deal to bring Arena of Valor to the Switch could be a precursor of both companies working together to bring the Switch and Nintendo’s mobile apps to China.

While Nintendo has been relatively strong in affluent regions of the world such as North America and Europe, it has a very small presence in China. A few years ago, the company released a rebranded 3DS known as iQue 3DS XL, which comes pre-installed with Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land.

David Gibson, analyst at Macquarie Capital Securities, expects the Nintendo Switch to launch in China by March 2019.

The Wall Street Journal added people “familiar with Nintendo’s thinking” said Nintendo has been looking for ways to expand into China, and Tencent could be a potential partner. There was even a plan to introduce the Wii U into the Chinese market, but it was dropped.