Nintendo Switch Online Service Perks Teased Ahead Of Launch

Nintendo has promised something big when it’s time for it to officially introduce its Nintendo Switch Online paid service. The company has also assured fans that it will be worth the wait.

Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima and managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi recently teased the perks that players will have when Nintendo’s paid service officially goes live in September.

“We view the online service as one component of our efforts to diversity how our games are played and to get people to play more of our games,” Kimishima said during a recent Nintendo investor Q&A. “That is why we want to apply substantial resources to the online service, with the thinking that we will devote our energies to making this a for-pay service.”

Kimishima also disclosed that they already have this plan on how to make the service attract most Nintendo Switch users. “As for how we plan to popularize the service, it is less about the mechanism and more a question of what kinds of products we can offer, and the spread of the service will depend on whether consumers want what we offer.”

Kimishima also noted that they still need time before they could announce more details about the Nintendo Switch Online membership service. He added that the announcement will include specific details on how they plan to popularize the service.

Meanwhile, Takahashi teased that the announcement of the subscription service’s features and perks will be big. “We have some ideas about how to make Nintendo Switch Online appealing when it becomes a for-pay service, so I think our next announcement will be worth the wait.”

GameSpot pointed out that Kimishima only mentioned “products” that could be appealing to Switch users without really revealing what they are. On the other hand, Xbox One and PlayStation 4’s paid memberships offer free games monthly and discounts.

Nintendo’s online service for the Switch was originally scheduled for release in late 2017. However, the Japanese company delayed its launch to 2018. Nintendo initially said that memberships would cost $4 for 1 month, $8 for 3 months and $20 for 12 months. Should pricing remain the same, then the Switch’s online service would be significantly cheaper than the Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus services that cost $60 per year.