Nintendo replacing its multiplayer server system that is almost two decades old

Update: We now have further clarification on the multiplayer system (thanks Dan). NEX is about twenty years old, though Nintendo itself has been using it for about ten years. The tech, which was created by Quazal, was called Rendez-Vous. Ubisoft bought them out in 2010, and Nintendo then licensed it and renamed it “NEX” soon after.

Original: Since the Wii U and 3DS days, Nintendo has been using something called “NEX” for its multiplayer server system. Almost all games have been tied to it for online functionality. Now though, the company is looking to make a major change.

We’re hearing reports that Nintendo is shifting from NEX to a different system, “NPLN”. Monster Hunter Rise is apparently the first very title to make use of it in public. According to Twitter user thomasnet_mc, NPLN is in a preview phase at the moment, and the Monster Hunter demo allowed Nintendo to see how it performed under load.

Twitter user OatmealDome says “NEX is at least 18 years old by now, so it’s dated.” You might be surprised to hear that “the Splatoon 2 version has an unused function to check to see if it’s running on Windows 98.”

OatmealDome, who tends to be in the know with datamining and other technical findings, says that the shift in server systems isn’t likely to provide better online – at least immediately. Nintendo will instead look to make a seamless transition, and the company can then add new things or make improvements to existing features.