Nintendo has announced a new Indie World Showcase for April 17th at 7 AM PT, featuring roughly 20 minutes of announcements and updates on upcoming indie games for the Nintendo Switch in 2024.
27.03.2024 - 22:11 / eurogamer.net / Ethan Gach / Nintendo
Nintendo has reportedly cut 120 contractor testing roles at its North American operation — with an unspecified number said to have been converted to full-time positions — as part of a major restructuring effort that comes amid claims of a testing «lull» ahead of Switch 2's arrival.
That's according to Kotaku, which describes the restructuring — based on word from a number of former and current contractors — as a «massive downsizing» of Nintendo's Washington-based testing team. While the publication's story doesn't put a number on the job cuts, reporter Ethan Gach said he understands «roughly 120 contractor positions have been eliminated at Nintendo of America» in a follow-up post on social media.
In a statement confirming its restructuring, Nintendo told Kotaku it had reorganised its Product Testing functions to «drive greater global integration in game development efforts» and «better align [Nintendo of America] with interregional testing procedures and operations.»
To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Newscast: Behind the headlines of GDC, a cautious sense of hope.Watch on YouTubeThe company also confirmed the move would result in «some contractor assignments ending, as well as the creation of a significant number of new full-time employee positions.» It did not specify how many workers would lose their jobs versus the number of newly created full-time positions, but did say those impacted by the job cuts would receive «severance packages and… assistance during their transition.» Kotaku sources added those going full-time «appear to be getting moved out of software testing.»
Nintendo of America's restructuring efforts reportedly come amid a «lull» for its testing department, with Kotaku's sources saying no new major first-party games are currently in the testing pipeline. The claim follows reports earlier this year that Switch 2 — which was originally expected to arrive in 2024 — has now seen its release pushed back to March 2025 to ensure more launch stock, although that date could slip further.
Today's news of contractor layoffs follows previous claims of fractious relations between Nintendo of America and its extensive contractor workforce. Reports surfaced in 2022 highlighting criticisms around the way Nintendo differentiated between full-time and contract staff in terms of pay, benefits and a feeling of inclusion, as well as the lack of a solid progression path to becoming a permanent employee — reports Nintendo of America boss later called «troubling». Later that year, a Nintendo QA contractor won a $26k settlement after taking Nintendo to court claiming they were fired after asking about unionisation.
Nintendo has announced a new Indie World Showcase for April 17th at 7 AM PT, featuring roughly 20 minutes of announcements and updates on upcoming indie games for the Nintendo Switch in 2024.
Gamescom may be the most significant gaming convention and trade show in Europe (and probably the world following the death of E3), but Nintendo is a bit hit-and-miss with their attendance. They skipped 2022, but they were there in 2023, and, in fact, it was rumored they may have shown the Switch 2 for the first time behind closed doors while there. Unfortunately, it seems we won’t be getting a repeat in 2024, as Nintendo has confirmed they’ll be skipping the show in a statement provided to Eurogamer…
UPDATE 2.50pm UK: «Nintendo UK has now confirmed to Eurogamer it will not be present at this summer's Gamescom. The company's statement is below:
A dedicated Nintendo fan has shared photos of their incredible collection with dozens of Amiibos, Switch editions, and other items. Nintendo's fans have a well-known love for the brand, and they often show it off in different ways. One common way Nintendo fans show how much they appreciate the company's consoles, and the games released for them, is by putting together impressive collections.
Nintendo has announced the arrival of three old-school games cominf to. Members can now try out the Super Famicom games Wrecking Crew ’98 and Amazing Hebereke and the SNES title Super R-Type. Of the three games, only Super R-Type was previously released outside of Japan.
Nintendo has added another new batch of games to the Nintendo Switch Online library, and though many may be unfamiliar with the new additions, it’s fair to say they had their fair share of fans back in the day (which was, admittedly, quite long ago).
Nintendo has added three more SNES games to its Nintendo Switch Online subscription service.
Nintendo has announced the three latest additions to Nintendo Switch Online, and their former CEO has a personal recommendation.
SUNSOFT‘s Amazing Hebereke, IREM’s SUPER R-TYPE, and Nintendo‘s Wrecking Crew ’98 are now available as part of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online lineup, Nintendo announced.
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