Nintendo Provides Launch Window For Paid Switch Online Service

Nintendo previously announced that the paid Switch Online Service would officially launch in September. Now, the gaming company has narrowed down the launch date of its online service to the “second half” of September.

Nintendo announced the new launch window for the Switch Online service on its website and on its social media pages. When the Nintendo Switch console launched in March 2017, online play was made available for free. When the Switch Online service launches next month, users will have to start paying for a subscription to continue playing online.

The Nintendo Switch Online service will cost $19.99 for a 12-month subscription. Meanwhile, a monthly subscription will cost $3.99 and a three-month subscription will cost $7.99. Nintendo will also have a family plan for the Switch Online service that will cost $34.99 for 12 months. Subscribing to the family plan will allow up to eight Nintendo account holders to share the single subscription.

“Please note that Nintendo Switch owners won’t be automatically subscribed to the service when it starts, so they will need to purchase an individual or family membership in order to avoid disruption of their online play in compatible games,” the company said on its blog.

A paid subscription will be required if gamers want to continue playing online. Some titles that will need a subscription include “Splatoon 2,” “ARMS,” “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” and “Mario tennis Aces.” The upcoming Pokémon titles, “Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!,” will also require a paid subscription if gamers want to battle and trade monsters online. The “Pokémon: Let’s Go” games are scheduled to be released for the Nintendo Switch on Nov. 16.

A paid subscription to the Switch Online service will also allow users to save their game date to the cloud. Another benefit of paying for a subscription is that users will have access to classic NES titles like “Super Mario Bros. 3,” “Donkey Kong” and “The Legend of Zelda.” At launch, Nintendo will make 20 classic NES games available to play to Switch Online subscribers.

The paid Nintendo Switch Online service was originally supposed to launch in late 2017. But Nintendo delayed the launch of the service to ensure that it meets its high standards.

“As we were proceeding along development, there were things we wanted to do with Nintendo Switch Online that extended the development time,” Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said last year. “When you look at the products [from Nintendo] that have been delayed, typically it’s worth the wait. ‘Breath of the Wild’ is a great example.”