Nintendo Switch Day One Update Reveals Friend Codes Are Returning

It’s recently been discovered that the Nintendo Switch will feature the return of Friend Codes, the 12-digit code that lets users add friends online. The feature was first introduced for the Wii and has been highly criticized by many as inconvenient and simply outdated.

The inclusion of friend codes for the Nintendo Switch was discovered earlier Thursday when the day-one patch for the console’s software was released, according to Polygon. The release of the update is in preparation for the launch of the console tomorrow.

There are four ways of adding friends on the Nintendo Switch: search for local players (someone in the same room, same Wi-Fi), search for players you’ve already played with, search using a Friend Code and sending a friend request.

This makes the 12-digit Friend Code central to adding new friends. Also, users are limited to only having a total of 300 friends on their list, Nintendo confirmed on its website.

The Friend Codes may be a way of protecting users, but it does hurt the Switch’s attempt at being better at online gaming. Instead of just sending and approving a friend request, users will need the Friend Code for confirmation.

What’s frustrating about this revelation is that Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said that they will no longer be using Friend Codes for the Switch. “There are no friend codes within what we're doing," Fils-Aime told CNET back in January.

Friend Codes for the Nintendo Switch and in 2017 seems like a huge inconvenience that can easily be assuaged. Nintendo could simply let players add friends using email addresses, let people find friends by searching for their names or just integrate social media accounts like Facebook. Microsoft, Sony and other companies have been using these types of methods for years.