Since its launch in 2018, Nintendo Switch Online has been met with mixed reception. According to the latest Nintendo shareholder meeting, the company is exploring new services for Nintendo Switch Online to flip the script.
For the first year of its console life, the Nintendo Switch lacked a dedicated online system, until September of 2018 when the Nintendo Switch Online service began. The service allows players to play online multiplayer games, communicate with friends through its smartphone application, and save their game data to the Cloud. Subscribers also receive access to a 100+ original NES and SNES games, as well bonus discounts in the Nintendo eShop. Despite these features, when compared to the offerings of PS Plus and Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch Online has shown to be an inconsistent matchmaking service that can definitely be improved.
In the Q&A section of the latest Nintendo shareholder meeting, Representative Director and President, Shuntaro Furukawa, was asked if the company would be implementing new services to Switch Online and possibly staggering subscription prices. Furukawa did not give a direct answer as to any upcoming features, but states, "We are working on increasing the appeal of the service to make it even more fun and convenient to play with Nintendo Switch." So while it is seemingly confirmed that improvements to Switch Online are in development, there is no indication of what these new features and enhancements will look like. There is an assortment of Switch Online upgrades Nintendo can make, so hopefully Nintendo is listening.
Furukawa also provides some statistics about Switch Online and its install base. He mentions that there were over 26 million Online subscriptions in September of last year, and that total has continued to grow with system sales. These massive figures indicate that Switch Online is already meeting some desires of its users—this is not to say the service cannot be improved, still. If Nintendo wants people to buy the new OLED Nintendo Switch and keep the total Online subscribers growing, it would be in their best interest to roll out more features for the service.
Nintendo Switch Online already has some perks over its competitors. For starters, its priced significantly lower than PS Plus and Xbox Live at $20 annually (though this has also been used against the service due to its matchmaking quality). Likewise, the litany of classic games that are included with one's membership are convenient and a nice touch, although it would also be great to see the Virtual Console make a return. Considering the last update's flood of dislikes, though, Nintendo has a tough hill to climb to redeem Nintendo Switch Online in the eyes of its fans.
Source: Nintendo Japan