Nintendo has confirmed that it is changing the release schedule for the free NES and SNES games it offers for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. The announcement comes just one day after it announced that SNES games would be available on the Switch.
In an article on the company's Japanese site, Nintendo said that moving forward, free NES and SNES games would no longer be added monthly as they had been. The article said that from now on, the company would be releasing these free retro titles "irregularly." The change to the release schedule won't just affected Nintendo Switch Online users in Japan, as the company also released a statement to Australian publication Vooks that said that NES and SNES games "will be added after launch, but those releases will not adhere to a regular schedule."
It's unclear just how irregular the new release schedule will be, but fans will hope that the releases aren't few and far between. If Nintendo can't stick to a schedule of one game a month, then the company could add new games every other month. Nintendo could also release a new NES game and then a new SNES game on alternating months to give players some variety.
However, some Nintendo Switch Online subscribers fear that they may not get that much. Nintendo is being incredibly cagey about its NES and SNES game release plans, likely so that it doesn't spook subscribers who may have signed up to Nintendo Switch Online because of this week's free SNES game announcement. The worry from those who've been subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online for a while is that Nintendo will only give them a few of these retro games a few times a year.
This would be a shame as fans have greatly enjoyed being able to get their hands on new retro titles each month. The arrival of features like the NES game rewinds have also made these older games much more accessible for players who want to enjoy gaming classics but aren't as skilled. The success of console releases such as the SNES and NES Classic Editions has helped people to see the quality of retro games too and this could be a big reason why many signed up to Switch Online. Few details are available now but hopefully Nintendo will offer more information about its plans.