Nintendo is not the first game development business that comes to mind working in the fast-growing UGC gaming market. In fact, the Japanese developers might be the polar opposite in their approach and mentality towards its content. So far, instead of making anything remotely akin to UGC platforms, Nintendo has been a massive walled garden both in terms of its content and tools for user-generated creations.
These days, however, that mindset seems to be changing. The company recently undertook a big playtest with thousands of users. The test, which was announced in early October 2024, did not give away too many details, but the leaked documents reveal some interesting stuff. The information that is available points towards an ambitious project by Nintendo that blends a regular social gaming multiplayer game with tools aimed at creating user-made experiences.
Initially, Nintendo shared the news that it was working on a new project by asking people to sign up for their Switch Online Playtest. Shortly after, over 10,000 gamers registered to partake in the test, all of which were Nintendo Switch Online members with an Expansion Pack. Nintendo continued to be exceedingly tight-lipped about the process, as well as the game itself. When the test began on October 21st, it became clear that the game is a massive multiplayer online title. However, the numerous leaks that soon followed allowed for more info to be gathered about the title and its role in the future ecosystem of Nintendo multiplayer games.
The leaks show that the company primarily wanted to test the boundaries of multiplayer features, gameplay, and functionalities on their servers. The game itself is, according to the information that got out, a form of collective planet development, where users farm resources and use their creativity to grow and expand the world. In the game, players will be able to discover new territory, as well as materials, all the while keeping tabs on the so-called Beacons. These locations will emit some form of a healing light that actually develops the land – most likely, expands the territory on the game’s servers. The Beacons also enable players to claim the land and their parts of the planet, which they can lift, move, or edit.
Outside of the Beacon Zones lies the collective territory that anyone can modify in the game. Besides this, the game also features what is called the Dev Core. This is probably a form of social and community hub for the players.
The element of the leaks that quickly generated attention from the UGC community is the expansion of the planet’s territory through creativity. This could mean that players will be able to use their Beacon Zones to establish rules, tasks, and other gaming elements with which other players could interact.
Such an option would be an almost text-book example of user-generated content, especially if the reward for these activities, both in building and playing them, is a collective expansion of the game’s world. In terms of monetization, it is also easy to see how the Beacon Zones could become hubs for generating profit, especially if Nintendo allows for direct purchases and even reselling on an in-game market. This form of real estate in-game economy is nothing new for social online games, but having Nintendo testing it, is a whole different ball game.
For game designers, a lot of things that the Nintendo Switch Online Playtest experience provides are similar to Hideo Kojima’s Strands concept of asymmetric social gaming. Players are building a world together and helping each other while doing it – concepts that were already seen in the title Death Stranding from 2019.
However, with a bigger multiplayer element and more social interactions, as well as user-generated content support in some shape, Nintendo has a much more ambitious idea in mind. The leaked documents and other issues that the latest Playtest created are by no means a big problem for the company. Instead, they could help it build awareness of the coming development and gauge the reaction of gamers. Countless UGC gamers and creators are reacting to these leaks, and a Nintendo-run UGC space is something many are eager to try out.
