Nintendo Working on New Features and Initiatives For Nintendo Online
Nintendo Online or Nintendo Switch Online is a game subscription service by Nintendo to access an extensive library of Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System games on Nintendo consoles. It was launched in September 2018 and comes with various subscription tiers with different periods and prices.
Nintendo Online is the second most popular gaming subscription service, just behind PlayStation Plus in terms of subscriber count. Still, reviews of the service are generally mixed, although its affordability is a distinct feature from other services in this business.
This week Nintendo Co Ltd released their quarterly earnings report, which revealed that Nintendo Online has surpassed 36 Million subscribers as of September 2022. Alongside the quarterly earnings report release, Nintendo also announced a new company, Nintendo Systems Co Ltd, in collaboration with a mobile gaming company, DeNA.
A Questions and Answers session was also held with the top executives of Nintendo to understand the company’s future plans with their games and hardware.
When Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo, was asked about the company’s future plans regarding its subscription service and what measures it will take to make Nintendo Online more intriguing for new consumers and keep the existing subscribers coming back.
Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that various initiatives and further enhancements are in progress for Nintendo Online to make it more appealing for gamers.
What kind of initiatives are you considering to further increase the number of Nintendo Switch Online members and to bolster the enthusiasm of existing members?
Furukawa: “As of September 2022, the number of paid Nintendo Switch Online members has surpassed 36 million. While there are some users who choose not to renew their memberships once they expire, the number of members is increasing overall, along with increases in people playing Nintendo Switch and titles that support online play.
In addition, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, which we started last year, is accounting for a gradually increasing proportion of overall memberships thanks in part to the addition of Nintendo 64 titles.
The goal of Nintendo Switch Online as a service is to help users to enjoy playing on Nintendo Switch for a long time, so we are considering various initiatives, including further enhancements to the content of the service.
As we discussed in today’s presentation, our goal is to continue to use Nintendo Account to maintain long, positive relationships with our consumers. In line with this strategy, we consider Nintendo Switch Online as our initiative to encourage our users to continue to enjoy Nintendo Switch for many years to come.”
Shuntaro did not specify the enhancements Nintendo is working on for the subscription service but assured that they are working to make it more beneficial and exciting for gamers.
Nintendo Online Features
Existing Nintendo Online features include multiplayer compatibility, cloud storage support to secure your game progress and access it from anywhere, a companion app for your smartphone, legacy games library which includes blockbuster Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, game trials to try out new and existing games before you buy the full version of the game and lastly special offers and promotions for the subscribes.
Nintendo Online Tiers
Nintendo Switch Online individual membership
This tier includes access to the exclusive games library for $3.99/ month, $7.99/ 3 months, or $19.99/ year.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack individual membership
This tier includes all the features and offerings of the basic plan and on top of that gives you access to Legacy games from Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis series. It will cost you $49.99/ year.
Nintendo Switch Online family membership
It is the same as the basic plan but supports multiple accounts simultaneously for your family and costs $34.99/ year.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack family membership
It is a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership for your family and supports multiple accounts only at $79.99/ year.
However, what are your thoughts about the new Nintendo Online features? Are you looking forward to them, and what Nintendo Switch Online tier are you on right now? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
