Vivox SDK to be made available to all Switch developers
Previously only available for select games, such as Fortnite, simple plug-in voice chat may soon come to more third-party titles
Today Vivox announced that its Vivox SDK, which allows for in-game voice chat over a headset plugged directly into the console, will be made available to all authorized Nintendo Switch developers.
Prior to today, the Vivox SDK was only used for select games on the Nintendo Switch, including Fortnite. Now, Hi-Rez Studios has already announced it will use Vivox SDK for both Smite and Paladins in future updates.
That said, it seems likely that first-party Nintendo titles will continue to make use of the official Nintendo Online App and its less-applauded voice chat features.
"We've already seen a great deal of success with Nintendo and the use of our voice services in Fortnite," said Vivox president Dave Verratti. "We are extremely proud to be a part of the Nintendo ecosystem. We're happy to help Nintendo continue to push the envelope in their products by bringing gamers together through enhanced communications. Multiplayer games can and should excel on Nintendo Switch, and we're excited to see the results of the Vivox SDK on Nintendo Switch."
Vivox was acquired by Unity Technologies just last week.