Nintendo is done paying Elon Musk for X integration

Nintendo is apparently fed up with X (Twitter) API fees. The creator of Mario said on Wednesday that as of June 10, direct integration from the Switch’s Image Album to Elon Musk’s curious Nazi platform will no longer work. With Nintendo gone, all three major console makers pulled the plug on native screen sharing with the X.

The official X Games account published a strange, downright Orwellian response that ignores his central role in the exit of Mario’s creator. “Our partnership with Nintendo remains strong and we are working together to ensure a smooth transition for all users,” @xGaming posted at the end of its casually misleading response to Nintendo’s announcement. “We will continue to collaborate with partners to bring new and exciting experiences to our global gaming community.”

Ironically, X’s built-in reader context feature filled in the missing subtext. “This is in direct response to X changing its API,” the user-generated context says. “Specifically, X charges companies upwards of $40,000 or more per month for access to its API. Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox already removed X integration last year.

With cable first reported last year, access to the cheapest Enterprise API plan for The Dumpster Fire, formerly known as Twitter, started at $42,000 per month. Higher levels can reportedly cost $125,000 and $210,000 per month. Microsoft led the charge when it said Xbox was dropping Musk’s API plan in April 2023, while Sony held its nose and held off until November.

Monthly expenses of $42,000 (or more) may not sound like much for these wealthy mega-corporations, but apparently even they have their limits. After all, quick screen sharing on social channels is a marketing feature from a corporate perspective. If their accountants look at the analytics, weigh it against Musk’s fees, and see that it’s not paying off, they’ll do what profit-driven organizations do and cut overhead. But hey, at least “X’s partnership with Nintendo remains strong.”

Of course, you can still post screenshots of the switch in Musk’s hellscape; now there are only additional steps. You can send Wireless album art switching to your phone or transfer them to your computer using a USB cableand then publish them manually. Nintendo says that integrated Facebook sharing is still enabled, but warns that it may be discontinued at a later date.