Pokemon Stadium fans may be fairly disappointed to know that the new trailer for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack doubles down on some bad news about its newest N64 port. Both Pokemon Stadium and its sequel Pokemon Stadium 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch Online sometime this year, and this news may hinder some people's interest in downloading the games when they launch.
Nintendo has been making some big moves with a slew of announcements recently for additions to the games available with Nintendo Switch Online and the expansion pack, like classic Game Boy Advance titles Metroid Fusion and Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade and, of course, both of the Pokemon Stadium titles with online play included for the first time. This is thrilling for many who consider Pokemon Stadium both nostalgic and one of the best ways to experience multiplayer Pokemon battles in the franchise's history. However, there was one concerning detail in the original announcement, and fans were hoping that the detail would later be removed or revised, but the newest advertisement from Nintendo appears to double down.
The latest Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack ad shows off Pokemon Stadium once again as one of the titles that will soon be arriving on the service. The small-print detail that returns at the bottom of the screen reads, "Pokemon cannot be transferred to these games." The Japanese version of this trailer, which came a few weeks earlier, did not include this disclaimer and led some hopeful gamers to believe that maybe Nintendo would revise the information to read that Pokemon transfers would be available in the Pokemon Stadium games sometime after launch. The more recent English version of the trailer, however, only serves to reassert what was already stated in the original announcement.
The idea of Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 with added online play is extremely enticing, but it seems as though many are not quite swayed enough by Nintendo's offering, especially without Pokemon transfers ever being a possibility. It also seems in general as though many are unhappy with the state of Nintendo Switch Online even after all of its big announcements for 2023. The comment section beneath this most recent English Nintendo Switch Online trailer showcases much of the negativity surrounding this program, and bypassing YouTube's current hidden rating system showcases the uneven like-to-dislike ratio largely in favor of the dislikes at the moment.
The absence of Pokemon transfers is far from the core reason for these bad reactions, though. Most customers are primarily unhappy with the price point. $50 a year just to have access to a meager number of classic N64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance titles seems excessive to many, especially when juxtaposed with its main competition Xbox Game Pass and its massive library of both classic and modern titles.
Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Stadium 2 are scheduled to release on Nintendo Switch Online in 2023.