Nintendo appears to be doing something unheard of, bridging its online services across generations. Nintendo Switch Online has only grown in popularity, with plenty more goodies like the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance libraries available. And come time for a new console launch, their subscription service looks ready to stick around with no abandoning necessary this time.
As spotted by ResetEra users, the document says: 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].
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority recently revealed its finding upon investigating Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard – startlingly, they stated in the document that Nintendo Switch Online didn’t factor into their evaluation due to only being available on two devices. An eyebrow-raising revelation.
Nintendo is taking a new approach to its online services with the upcoming Switch 2. Rather than dropping support like in previous hardware generations, Nintendo has confirmed that users can enjoy their favorite games and experiences on this next-gen system through their Nintendo Accounts.
Nintendo Switch Online is a huge success, with over 36 million subscribers in November alone. But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Nintendo looks to be upping the ante and investing heavily in this stellar service. Nintendo is poised to keep its popular Switch console on the market for years, despite reports that they are already hard at work creating a much-anticipated successor. Analysts suggest we might get our hands on this new system by 2024, but Nintendo appears confident we won’t need it anytime soon, believing there’s still plenty of life left in the Switch first.
