The launch of a streaming Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey for Nintendo Switch is in Japan only, where players may rent it by the day or buy it outright.
The Nintendo Switch can run games that are technically too powerful for the system. This was put to the test when Capcom published a streaming version of Resident Evil 7 for the Switch back in May, and now Ubisoft will try the concept with Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Like the Resident Evil release, this will be in Japan only.
The announcement was part of Japan’s Nintendo Direct, not the one here in the U. S. Kotaku noted (citing Siliconera) that Phantasy Star Online 2 had been streamed for the Switch in Japan back in April, as well.
While Odyssey on the Switch is not coming to the West and there’s no indication this region will see streaming games any time soon, it at least shows Nintendo’s console has a capability similar to Sony’s PlayStation Now service, which turns four in January.
It’s also possible that the Japanese market or customers’ purchasing priorities make this viable for third party publishers in Japan, where it’s less workable in the West. Resident Evil 7 was offered as a rental, after all, getting half a year for about $20. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is being offered as a daily rental (roughly $6.50) and a full version. Western audiences may be more inclined to pay fees to stream games if it’s for an all-you-can eat subscription, like PlayStation Now, as opposed to a game-by-game basis.
Here’s the announcement made for Japanese viewers, for those interested (or if you speak/understand Japanese). The cloud version of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is launching the same day as the other versions of the game worldwide, Oct. 5. In the west, users will get it on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.
