Switch Will Get Ports of Ori and the Blind Forest and Cuphead As Tests For Microsoft’s Xbox API – Rumor

A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced that they will be bringing a cross-platform Xbox API to the Nintendo Switch, essentially bringing Xbox Live to Nintendo’s console, and allowing any third party that wishes to use their service on Nintendo’s popular hybrid. Yesterday, rumors broke that Microsoft is looking to bring xCloud and Game Pass to Nintendo Switch, and alongside it, a native port of Ori and the Blind Forest.

Now, reporting on Windows Central, Jez Corden notes that Ori and the Blind Forest, and possibly Cuphead as well, will both be coming to the Switch—and that these ports were developed as part of an exercise to test the Xbox API on the Switch in the first place. It’s interesting that both the titles are technically developed by third parties and not Microsoft (though to be fair, we have rumors of Microsoft’s own games coming to the Switch beyond xCloud as well).

Right now, though there is a lot of smoke here, remember, this is just a rumor. But I have to admit, if there is any truth to it, the next few years are going to end up being very interesting…