Last year, Nintendo revealed a new tier for its online services, the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, which provide a number of perks to subscribers. While the most notable of these perks being access to a select number of classic Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games. This includes classics such as Mario Golf, Paper Mario, and even Banjo-Kazooie just to name a few. The other notable perk is a number of DLC packs available as freebies for these upgraded subscribers.
Subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack get access to some of these DLCs, with the first of these being to Animal Crossing: New Horizons' expansion, Happy Home Paradise. Nintendo then announced earlier this year that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass would also be available for members of the upgraded service. While the DLC can also be bought separately, the Booster Course Pass is added value to the NSO's Expansion Pack. Another freebie is available for subscribers right now, free of charge.
This freebie is another DLC related add-on that can be purchased separately, but will be included for free if members are subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. This would be Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion, an add-on that released for the game in 2018. This DLC gives players access to a brand-new single player campaign spanning several new levels, with the goal of reaching Inkopolis' surface. Moreover, it gives fans the chance to play as the Octolings in a twisted and dark tale.
Fittingly, this announcement was made after the reveal of Splatoon 3's release date, alongside a trailer that showed off extensive gameplay footage. This addition is good for newcomers to Splatoon 2, who might already have the game but haven't bought the related DLC. It could serve as a good lead-up for new fans to play Splatoon 2 and Octo Expansion in the lead-up to Splatoon 3's release later this year.
This addition however has drawn the confusion and ire of other Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. While some noted that while this does add value to the Expansion Pack tier, this DLC is already a few years old and many who had been playing Splatoon 2 for the last few years have already bought the add-on. This is already combined with the Expansion Pack's controversial pricing model, with fans still arguing if the tier is worth the expensive tag. That said, this addition could be a possible lead-up to how Splatoon 3 will handle its DLC model, where Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers could get it for free alongside the option to purchase it separately.