The Nintendo Switch launched with gaming explicitly in focus, dragging its feet a bit when it came to adding applications for non-gaming media to its ecosystem. Eventually, it did welcome Hulu and YouTube months later, but Netflix is still noticeably absent. If Disney has anything to say, though, Nintendo will welcome the new Disney Plus streaming service with open arms.
Disney held an investors briefing this week and officially unveiled Disney Plus, a new subscription streaming platform that will put the company’s many properties under one digital roof. In the promotional material, as discovered by a ResetEra user, devices like the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One are shown as potential homes for Disney Plus. They then update the post by expressing that Disney “seems to have some type of deal with PlayStation … the rest are also coming too but later perhaps.”
The Nintendo Switch is an ideal system for Disney Plus at or close to launch, considering the large install base and the ability to take the hybrid console on the go. Storage on the Switch comes at a premium, though, and players will likely want to upgrade their micro-SD cards if Disney Plus hits the console’s ecosystem with its full suite of features. Disney Plus allows for downloads so subscribers can watch content offline, which is convenient but will battle with the gaming library for space.
Disney Plus will include recently released movies like Captain Marvel and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, classic Disney movies like Cars and Toy Story, and new movies like the upcoming remake of The Lady and the Tramp.
A lot like the upcoming Apple TV Plus service, Disney’s focus on original programming is what will really spark a consumer’s interest in adding yet another monthly or yearly payment to an already growing collection, though. Disney owns ESPN, National Geographic, and Marvel, so it will be providing original television shows related to those properties. Marvel’s presence within Disney Plus, for instance, is going to serve as an expansion of the world put in place by the films. Avengers: Endgame hits theaters this month and Disney Plus will feature shows that carry the story forward with series focuses on Hawkeye, The Vision, Scarlet Witch, Bucky, and Falcon. The actors from the films will be retaining their roles in these shows.
