Nintendo Switch Minecraft players now viewable on Xbox One friend lists

Brad Stephenson

Minecraft for Nintendo Switch on Xbox One dashboard

We’ve known for a while now that Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch would be getting Xbox Achievements and crossplay with Xbox One consoles but something a lot of people hadn’t thought of is that with today’s update, Nintendo Switch players will now start showing up on Xbox One consoles’ friend lists.

This is possible due to Nintendo Switch Minecraft players being required to log into the game with a Microsoft account. If that Microsoft account is also linked to an Xbox Live account (they’re essentially the same thing) and that account has friends on Xbox then those gamers will now see when they’re logged into their Switch and playing Minecraft.

Minecraft for Nintendo Switch on Xbox One

As can be seen in the above image, the online status not only states that the Xbox account is online while on the Nintendo Switch but it even specifies that they’re playing “Minecraft for Nintendo Switch.” It also looks like Microsoft’s Larry Hryb is giving the game a go on his Nintendo Switch today.

The listing of what video game Xbox gamers are currently playing has always been a useful tool for game discovery and promotion and now, with today’s Minecraft update, it’s turned into a bit of free promotion for the Nintendo Switch console as well.

It’s a shame Sony’s so against cross-platform play as they could be advertising their PlayStation 4 right now directly on their rival’s console.

Let us know what you think. Do like seeing a Nintendo presence on your Xbox One and would you like to see more cross-play initiatives like this? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below and make sure to follow us on Twitter for more video game news.