Nintendo revealed in their earnings report for Q3 of FY 2018-19 (October-December) that the subscription based online service that they launched for the Switch in September (the unimaginatively titled Nintendo Switch Online) has hit eight million subscribers, which is a figure that does not include free trials. The company noted that the 8 million number also includes accounts within Family Memberships, and also promised that it is going to keep working to expand the benefits offered by the service.
“Nintendo Switch Online has had a good start, with the number of subscribers surpassing 8 million accounts not including free trials,” Nintendo wrote. “In keeping with our goal of providing Nintendo Switch owners with ‘More Games. More Features. More Fun,’ we are working on continuing to expand the service offerings.”
Back in November, Nintendo suggested that the Switch’s online service had had “a good launch”, but had refused to divulge specific figures. 8 million subscribers out of a userbase of 32 million is indeed a pretty good launch, especially considering that those figures were racked up in less than four months. No doubt, the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the ongoing success of titles such as Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would have contributed significantly towards that figure (though that isn’t something that Nintendo went into).
Nintendo’s plans on expanding the service even further are also worth scrutinizing. The most obvious conclusion one can draw from this, especially in light of recent rumours and datamines, is that SNES games will soon be added to Nintendo Switch Online. It’s also a known fact that Nintendo is looking to hire people to bolster their numbers on their online services front, while reports have also indicated that they plan on making Nintendo Switch Online a more attracting prospect to customers.
It’ll be interesting to see how the service shapes up and where Nintendo takes it from here.
