Nintendo released its financial statistics, but there wasn’t much to say about Nintendo Switch Online it seemed. However, the business offered an update during the Q&A section of its conference.
President Shuntaro Furukawa said, “It is critical to continually make the service more interesting with the inclusion of games that use online gaming and enhancements to the service itself.” Later, he said that Nintendo “will continue to extend the service and provide diverse content throughout the year.”
Furukawa also made a few remarks on the Expansion Pack in particular. In terms of people adopting to that tier, “the ratio is exceptionally high in the United States.” Late last year, new subscribers started to increase as a result of N64 titles entering Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, as well as DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the service.
Furukawa’s statement (translated)
“The number of Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will not be updated today.” We said last year that there will be 32 million customers by September 2021. Since then, the number of members has consistently expanded in tandem with hardware unit sales. Because not all customers renew their subscriptions once their membership periods expire, we believe it is critical to make the service more appealing by adding games that use online gaming and making changes to the service itself.
We implemented a new “Missions & Rewards” feature to Nintendo Switch Online in March of this year. Players may earn My Nintendo Platinum Points by completing goals (such as “Play Software That Supports Online Play” or “Play Game Trials Software”), which can then be redeemed for prizes such as “icon components.” Furthermore, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion bundle (which began in October 2021) now includes free access to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass (which was published in March). Throughout the year, we will continue to improve the service and add new content.
The number of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers is continually growing, as is their percentage of the entire Nintendo Switch Online subscriber base. The ratio is particularly high in the United States. The bulk of subscribers when we originally launched Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack were individuals who moved from the original Nintendo Switch Online membership plans. However, we started to witness a rise in new members late last year, owing mostly to the release of popular Nintendo 64 games as well as add-on content like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The availability of future add-on material as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will be determined by the general user-friendliness of the experience and the compatibility of each piece of software. Each book will be delivered in the manner best suited to its qualities.”
