Nintendo Switch Online has exceeded thirty-two million subscribers, an increase of around six million compared to last year, according to a recent management report from Casa de Mario itself. As reported by GamesRadar, the increase in the number of subscribers to the online service has undoubtedly been helped by the addition of a higher level, the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. This premium tier pushes players back a bit more than the basic membership, but adds both Nintendo XNUMX and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive builds to the service, such as access to Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC. Throughout the briefing, Nintendo took the opportunity to assert that it "will continue to improve and expand both Nintendo Switch On line and Nintendo Switch On line + Expansion Pack, sacrificing itself to provide services that satisfy service customers." This has been suggested by the company before, with plans to increase the number of free games for its latest retro game compilations, but access to future downloadable content bundles could also be a possibility.
(Image credit: Nintendo) A six million subscriber increase over the previous year is not to be underestimated and, as mentioned, Nintendo Switch Online has probably been helped by the Expansion Pack level. This despite ongoing criticism of the service's shortcomings, such as shaky online connections for certain games, input lag, and audio desync for retro builds as well. As of this writing, the Nintendo Switch family of consoles has collectively moved over XNUMX million units. That means around a third of Switch owners pay for the service online, which is pretty staggering considering its shortcomings compared to the probably superior Xbox Live and PS Plus. Of course, we'd expect Nintendo's numbers to rise over Black Friday and the Christmas season in general. The company has accepted that it won't be able to keep up with the demand for the Switch during this time, which means that the stock will likely be completely depleted.
Analysis: Why is Nintendo Switch Online so successful?
There is no secret formula for the success of Nintendo Switch Online. The basic subscription is remarkably affordable and costs just €64 / €XNUMX for twelve months. At that price, you get online games, cloud saves, and a collection of NES and SNES titles accessible via dedicated apps. Its alot. The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack is a more controversial beast, pushing the cost up to €XNUMX / €XNUMX over twelve months, with currently no payment option. monthly. This surely makes the higher cost more difficult for some to stomach, but that hasn't stopped others from opting for the premium tier for access to an appeal for NXNUMX and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive titles, as well as more. 'Essential DLC for Animal Crossing fans. And it could be the addition of DLC that turns out to be Nintendo's ace up its sleeve. Sure, the more retro additions are great, but we're willing to bet that a fair number of players have signed up at the expansion pack level to access the Happy Home Paradise DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It's a resolution that could turn out to be quite smart in the long run. The expansion pack could become a way for Switch players to access substantial DLC packs without purchasing them. Like an Xbox Game Pass for downloadable content. It would all depend on the popularity of a given game, naturally. Animal Crossing already has a massive install base of thirty-five million players and is among the top ten best-selling Switch games to date. That said, sales numbers are rarely a drawback for Nintendo's top-tier list, and upcoming titles like Splatoon XNUMX, which are sure to include paid DLC, could benefit from the expansion pack treatment. As it stands, we're carefully bullish on Nintendo Switch Online subscription numbers. As Nintendo Switch's online expansion pack has come off the blocks, it seems like enough gamers have already found the extra cost worth it, especially with what could become on the service. The best Nintendo Switch XNUMX-month membership deals online