Nintendo's decision to release a more expensive Expansion Pack tier for the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) service has been controversial, to say the least. Many fans already took issue with the quality of NSO's Internet and the drip-feed of NES and SNES games meant to act as exclusive benefits. Increasing the price to around $50 USD for individuals in exchange for access to limited N64 and Sega Genesis libraries, as well as Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC, was not enough to appease them.
The overview trailer for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack had over 100,000 dislikes on YouTube as of October 31, 2021, and as of this writing it is nearing 190,000. Clearly Nintendo needs to do more if it wants to justify the price hike for its online service. Actually improving the quality of the Switch's Internet for games like Super Smash Bros. would certainly help, but it seems the company is more interested in add-ons for subscribers. That being the case, making some game demos exclusive to NSO could be a solid selling point.
Attracting New Customers to Nintendo Switch Online
What games get a demo on the Nintendo Switch has varied over the years. Some first-party titles like Pikmin 3 Deluxe and third-party titles like Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity have released demos that offer material benefits. These benefits include things like a new game mode in Pikmin 3, or progress carrying over to the main game if players decide to buy it - which they are probably more apt to do after enjoying the demo.
By making some demos exclusively available through NSO, one could argue Nintendo is adding a price tag to what should be free giveaways. However, Nintendo needs more ways to promote its service, and extra goodies for specific games is certainly one avenue it could take. Given the company already makes odd marketing decisions such as releasing a Metroid Dread demo weeks after the game came out, using some demos as fodder to attract customers to NSO wouldn't be farfetched.
Promoting Nintendo Switch Games with More Demos
When picking which games should get demos through NSO and which should be open to the public, the clear answer would be to make Nintendo's first-party games be exclusives. Third-party developers would no doubt prefer to get their games in front of as many eyes as possible ahead of launch to increase word-of-mouth marketing. Meanwhile, it would make sense for Nintendo to use demos for anticipated console sellers like Metroid Dread to attract people to its own paid online service.
Yet there is also room for some overlap. Earlier this month Switch Online subscribers got access to a free trial of The World Ends With You: Final Mix, which lasts until November 23 and runs alongside a 30 percent discount in the Switch eShop. Even though this trial began months after the launch of its sequel NEO: The World Ends With You (also 30 percent off), it's clear to see how developer Square Enix would benefit from the increased exposure.
If Nintendo and Square Enix pivoted from having a completely open free trial to something like a limited demo for The World Ends With You, it could easily be slotted into NSO's permanent offerings alongside NES, SNES, N64, and Genesis games. Extending this idea to other partnerships, it seems an obvious way to both increase the value of Nintendo Switch Online and expand the marketing channel without including an end date like in a free trial. If Nintendo's strategy for justifying the Expansion Pack is "just add more," exclusive demos is one path to consider.