Microsoft and Nintendo have been taking gradual steps to show their increased partnership, but it looks like it’s set to come to fruition this year.

After it being announced that Xbox Live would come to Nintendo earlier this year, Direct Feed is reporting that Microsoft is set to bring Xbox Game Pass to Nintendo Switch later this year. It’s looking like games will stream to the Nintendo Switch using Xcloud which definitely raises some questions about how well this will work in Australia (or if it even comes here initially).

But further to this, it’s looking like Ori and the Will of the Wisps will come to Nintendo Switch (as a game that players can purchase).

It’s been very clear that Microsoft wants to push into the service market, rather than just being a hardware provider for some time. Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass brings in much more money than sales from console sales, so it makes sense that they’d want this on as many platforms as possible. It’s a great fit for Nintendo in particular because the Switch can’t handle a lot of these games natively.

It also explains why Microsoft is going so hard in acquiring these studios. Like Netflix, their play looks to be bringing this exclusive content to a wide variety of platforms, rather than just looking to bolster the Xbox One (or future console) lineup of titles.

It’s looking like all will be revealed in the coming months. It’s certainly going to be an interesting year.