⚠ Nintendo Switch Mainland China release could be soon!⚠
Goverment approval documents state that Tencent will be distributing the Nintendo Switch in China.
The console has been approved by the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province.
The console seems to be sent in for approval along with the DEMO version of New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe.
The Nintendo Switch was one of the gaming devices approved during the approval period of the first quarter, which is open from Mar 5th to Mar 13th.
This is the time frame when console & game developers could submit their products in for approval.
Update:
Some quotes from the WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-seeks-to-sell-the-switch-in-china-11555581221
Tencent filed in Guangdong because it is based in the province and the decision applies nationally, analysts said. You Yunting, a partner with Shanghai-based DeBund Law Offices, said the companies would need another license from China's central publishing regulator before they can sell games for the Switch.
A spokeswoman for Tencent, the world's largest videogame company by revenue, declined to comment beyond the regulator's announcement. A Nintendo spokesman confirmed that the company is working with Tencent on applications to Chinese regulators but declined to give details such as when the products would go on sale.
Some Chinese consumers have already gotten their hands on a Switch thanks to gray-market imports from places including Japan and Hong Kong. Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at Niko Partners, said that official distribution and marketing by Tencent could allow the device to "reach a much broader audience."
Nintendo tried to enter China with some smaller machines including the iQue Player with a Chinese-American entrepreneur in 2003. But it didn't succeed because it was hard for consumers to find game for the machines.
Tencent's partnership with Nintendo isn't likely to produce large revenue in China right away because console games make up less than 3% of the country's overall gaming market, said Shawn Yang, managing director of Blue Lotus Capital Advisors. He said most people in China, the world's largest videogame market, play games on smartphones or personal computers.
Mr. Yang said the Nintendo-Tencent tie-up would lead to more lucrative opportunities for both companies, including Tencent potentially making or distributing mobile games using Nintendo characters from franchises such as Mario the plumber and Legend of Zelda.
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