Nintendo is ending support for Netflix and all other video streaming services on the Wii. Netflix subscribers were notified of the coming change via email, and Netflix’s website now lists the 3DS as the only Nintendo system that supports its streaming service.

According to a copy of that email shared on Reddit, the switch is officially being flipped on January 31, 2019. After that, the Netflix Wii “channel” (and seemingly other streaming services like Hulu and Amazon Instant Video as well) will no longer function on the system. 

This is also the same expiration date Nintendo put on the Wii Shop Channel itself last year, meaning that January 31, 2019 sees both the end of streaming video support for the Wii as well as the closure of its digital game and app store.

Additionally, Nintendo has yet to bring Netflix to the Switch, its current-generation console. That system launched in March 2017 and has been slow to introduce support for video apps as a whole. So far, the Switch introduced a Hulu app in November 2017 and, just this week, brought a YouTube app to its eShop.

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

The Abyss Seasonal Update is Now Available for No Man’s Sky on Xbox One
Hello, everyone! We wanted to share with you our seasonal update, The Abyss, releasing free for all No Man’s Sky players. We wanted to focus on improving underwater, and also on some of the eerier elements of the game. Oceans are now a huge part of our gameplay, and a new story, The Dreams of the Deep, brings context to the depths… Read more

A Letter from Chris Charla: ID@Xbox Celebrates Release of 1,000 Titles Through the Program
Before we announced the ID@Xbox program, we did a listening tour in 2012 with more than 50 developers to help us shape a program that really worked for developers. At the time, it felt like a lot of people! It’s almost surreal that we’re now looking at thousands of talented people working at more than 3,000 studios… Read more

New Games with Gold for November 2018
Welcome to another Games with Gold reveal for Xbox One and Xbox 360! In November on Xbox One, engage your enemies in the critically acclaimed shooter Battlefield 1, then test your nerves and dexterity in Race the Sun. On Xbox 360 and Xbox One via Backward Compatibility, relive the game that started it all in Assassin’s Creed… Read more

Your Nightclub Bouncer Job Just Got Real in Out of the Box on Xbox One
Our club is finally open, so get in line and prepare to enjoy Out of The Box on Xbox One! So, what is Out of The Box? Well, it’s a quirky, cartoonish bouncer simulator. Players not only get to do a bouncer’s job, meeting all sorts of strange characters and getting physical with some of them, they also get to experience a bloody… Read more

1,000 ID@Xbox Titles, Infinite Memories
We’ve made so many memories since the launch of the ID@Xbox program in 2013, and we’re still floored that we’ve seen over 1,000 titles release through the program. From the 1930s inspired, hand-drawn run-and-gun Cuphead to the brain-bending puzzle-platformer Inside, these uniquely crafted experiences… Read more

Scary Games to Play on Xbox One This Halloween
So, you drew the short straw and got placed on candy duty, leaving you at home waiting for trick-or-treaters to arrive looking for a sweet treat — what a perfect time for you to visit some of our favorite and scariest games to play on Xbox One! From survival horror to post-apocalyptic wastelands, there’s a little something… Read more

Play Just Cause 3 for Free This Weekend with Xbox Live Gold
Need more Just Cause in your life? Who doesn’t?! To celebrate the imminent launch of Just Cause 4 on December 4, we’re spoiling you this week with more Just Cause mayhem than ever before. It’s time to wingsuit back into Medici! Starting at 5:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, October 30 and running until 9:00 a.m. PDT on Monday, November 5… Read more

Halloween Comes to Kingdom: New Lands
Things are about to get spookier in Kingdom: New Lands as Halloween descends upon us. In the spirit of trick or treat, you might notice an evil grin on the moon during night time and haunted mansions in the far distance across the islands of Kingdom. Even the greedy creatures are dressed up in pumpkin masks… Read more

Welcome to Season 2
Today, our friends at Mixer announced Mixer Season 2, the next major evolution of Microsoft’s interactive livestreaming platform. At its core, Mixer is a place where community comes first so Season 2 covers new investments in innovation that ensure the community has a more active and engaging experience. Building upon… Read more

San Francisco 49ers’ Richard Sherman Takes on Forza Horizon 4 Live on Mixer, Nov. 5
Forza, football, and 49ers fans, get ready to grab your favorite cup of tea and headsets because NFL cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, Richard Sherman, will take on Great Britain and the open world driving of Forza Horizon 4 in our next Xbox Live Sessions episode! Tune in for all the fun on the Mixer Xbox Channel… Read more

Xbox and Fallout 76 Partnering with the Philadelphia 76ers
Xbox is pleased to announce a partnership with publisher Bethesda Softworks and the Philadelphia 76ers during the month of November to celebrate the upcoming launch of Fallout 76 on Xbox One. As part of the partnership, Xbox and Fallout 76 will be taking over an upcoming home game between the 76ers… Read more

Celebrate Día de los Muertos with Forza Horizon 4
Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a global holiday that originated in Mexico where friends and family gather to celebrate the lives of their loved ones and to support their spiritual journeys. To pay tribute to the holiday, the Forza Horizon 4 team partnered with three artists, Sam Rodriguez, Juan Puente, and Axis… Read more

A Soldier’s Guide to the Maps of Battlefield V: Holland and North Africa
We’re starting our world tour of the eight maps available in Battlefield V at launch with a detailed look at the first four. From close-quarters urban warfare to expansive vehicle-focused combat, the maps set in Holland (Rotterdam and Devastation) and North Africa (Hamada and Aerodrome) offer players… Read more

Celebrate the Release of “Incredibles 2” in 4K Ultra HD on Xbox One
To celebrate the release of “Incredibles 2,” Disney/Pixar and Xbox are excited to announce the Xbox One X Incredibles 2 Custom Console Sweepstakes. In “Incredibles 2,” Helen is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home with… Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for November 6 – 9
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to… Read more

Team Xbox Looks Back on Their Favorite ID@Xbox and Indie Game Memories
All of us here on Team Xbox are tremendous fans of the talent involved in the creation of games, especially those that come into the ID@Xbox program. From cartoon platformers to adventure games to strategy simulators, there’s a robust catalog of titles that deliver countless memories from those gaming worlds… Read more

Campo Santo’s award-winning 2016 title Firewatch was revealed for the Nintendo Switch earlier this year in April and has since gone missing. When it was originally announced, it was said to be arriving at some point in the near future. With 2018 nearly over, it’s left us wondering if it will still show up before the end of the year.

According to Campo Santo co-founder Jake Rodkin, the game is “very close” to release. Rodkin delivered this information in a reply to a Twitter user asking about the availability of the game on the Switch. This followed his original tweet about how “ridiculously nice” the Switch version of the game looked. Here’s the initial tweet and latest screenshots:

If you haven’t heard about Firewatch before, it’s a traditional ‘walking simulator’ mixed with a linear narrative and set in Shoshone National Forest located in the US. You take on the role of Henry who is a fire lookout. Being in complete isolation, the only person Henry has contact with is his supervisor Delilah via radio communication. Take a look at the game’s original 2016 trailer below:

Have you experienced this indie hit previously? Are you a fan of story-driven walking sims? Tell us in the comments.

With the sequel to Fantastic Beasts arriving in cinemas worldwide on 16th November, there’s no better time to talk about the secret history of the Harry Potter video game series. In a new Did You Know Gaming video, independent game researcher Liam Robertson takes a look at Nintendo’s failed Harry Potter pitch during the N64 era.

Prior to J.K Rowling’s franchise becoming a global phenomenon in 1999, Nintendo of America’s management decided it wanted to get the jump on developing the popular book series into video games. This followed the success of Rare’s GoldenEye 007 game in 1997 – which was based on the James Bond license. Although Nintendo’s headquarters in Japan had the final say, its American branch assigned Nintendo Software Technology Corporation (a studio located just down the road in Redmond, Washington) to work on ideas for Harry Potter games.

Of course, in order to gain an understanding of the wizarding world, the team responsible for coming up with these ideas were required to read every entry in the Harry Potter book series from cover to cover. At the time, NST was also busy developing multiple other titles. Eventually, it had two teams split off – with one working on a pitch for a Harry Potter game based on the main adventures and a separate team focusing on the fictional sport of Quidditch. Both of these titles were targeting a Nintendo 64 release. Full prototypes never saw the light of day, but there were art animations and mock 3D demos created. Only a few pitch documents and concepts still exist.

In the end, Nintendo made demands for exclusive rights to the franchise and talks with J.K. Rowling’s reps broke down. Ultimately, the license went to Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts in order to reach the widest audience possible. Noticeably, the platform Nintendo had originally pitched its own ideas for never actually got a Harry Potter game.

Take a look at the full story in the above video and tell us if you would have liked a Harry Potter game on the Nintendo 64.

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Today’s post was written by Richard Zotov, Group CIO at ERM.

The sustainability industry addresses the complex balancing act between supporting socioeconomic development and ensuring the healthy future of our environment and our communities. ERM employees are passionate about helping to shape a sustainable future with the world’s leading organizations. We work with the majority of Fortune 500 companies, whose activities—from drilling oil to discovering the next miracle drug—have an enormous impact on us all. Because sustainability means something different for every customer, like exploring clean energy sources or guaranteeing an ethical supply chain, ERM employees must be skilled, flexible, and agile in how they approach each engagement.

It is my goal as CIO to make sure this amazing group of more than 5,000 individuals have the best tools at their disposal as they collaborate in creative teams across 40 countries to help our customers achieve their unique business and sustainability goals. So we made the strategic decision to harness technology and data to digitalize and transform how we work. That’s when we deployed Microsoft 365 across our entire organization, from administrators in our 160 offices to mobile consultants gathering data in the field. Today, ERM employees have new tools to work faster, better, and safer, accelerating the positive, global impact of the work we do.

Now that everyone uses the same Microsoft 365 toolkit to collaborate, harness data, and streamline operations, we have a unified foundational layer for our new workplace culture. We’re connecting our entire business to be more efficient. And when it comes to security, we can meet our customers’ high standards and enhance the credibility of our security position with the Microsoft cloud platform.

This workplace transformation is really a two-pronged approach to remaining at the forefront of the sustainability industry. First, we harness technology and data to accelerate our sustainability and environmental health and safety services. The second involves looking at how we develop new revenue streams as an offshoot of our newly digitalized way of doing business.

With Microsoft 365, we are making headway with the first goal. It’s part of an enterprise-wide push to focus on exceptional customer value. For example, we have technologically transformed how we collect, store, and manage data during site investigation, one of our biggest service lines. Onsite data collection used to be a laborious manual process. Today, we use Microsoft 365 to help digitalize data collection—consultants take tablets into the field for data input and upload it for storage in the Microsoft cloud where it’s available in real-time for colleagues to analyze back at the office. Now our customers receive our reports in easily consumable Power BI dashboards, as opposed to lengthy write-ups, and we’re delivering insightful data into the hands of our customers faster.

As we gain experience in transforming our service lines using Microsoft cloud services, among others, we’ll be in a better position to explore new digital opportunities that help add value to the work we do for customers. This strategy will keep us at the leading edge of technology innovation and help maintain our competitive advantage.

As we work with the intelligent tools within the Microsoft 365 cloud platform, we empower our employees to deliver value to our customers—helping them achieve that balance between doing business and being a conscious steward of the environment. It’s great to know that ERM is adding to the global dialogue on sustainability, contributing to a healthier future for the planet.

—Richard Zotov

Read the ERM case study for more on their move to a modern workplace with Microsoft 365.