Nintendo Switch Online might not be on the same level as something like Game Pass, but Nintendo’s subscription service has, nonetheless, continuously increased in value over time, especially with the recent addition of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance libraries. And though Nintendo has typically abandoned its online services in the past when transitioning to new hardware, it doesn’t seem like that will be the case when the Switch successor rolls around, whenever that happens.
At least that’s what the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) seems to be suggesting. The CMA recently published provisional findings of its investigation of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and in the document published by the regulatory body, it mentioned on page 9 (spotted by ResetEra users) that Nintendo Switch Online hadn’t been considered in its analysis of competing subscription services due to it being available only on two devices.
The document reads, “Nintendo Switch Online has been excluded from our shares as Nintendo’s cloud gaming service is very limited. Nintendo’s cloud gaming service is only available on the Nintendo Switch device and [REDACTED].”
With the name of the second device in question having been removed, one would assume that it’s referring to something that hasn’t officially been made public knowledge yet.
Though Nintendo has generally not stuck with its online services across multiple hardware generations, there has been some indication from the company that that might not be a trend it follows when transitioning from the Switch to the Switch 2 (or whatever it ends up being called), having confirmed in November that Nintendo Accounts would likely be available on its next platform as well.
With Nintendo Switch Online having topped 36 million subscribers as of November, it wouldn’t be surprise to see Nintendo continuing to invest in the service in the future. Whether or not the system supports backward compatibility, however, is another question.
Reports have alleged time and again that work on the Switch successor is underway at Nintendo, with analysts believing that the new system could launch in 2024. Nintendo, however, seems to be confident that the Switch itself has plenty of life left in it, with recent reports claiming that the company expects to see sustained sales for the console for at least another year.