Last year, Nintendo made the controversial decision to launch an expansion pack for its Nintendo Switch Online service. Usually, subscription services tend to have different tiers, but this was the first time that a higher tier was being marketed as an expansion pack. Behind this expansion pack. Nintendo locked a catalog of N64 and Sega Genesis games. Then to sweeten the deal, it included the large scale DLC pack Animal Crossing New Horizons Happy Home Paradise for anyone who chose to subscribe.
Nintendo Switch Online has received a lot of flack for its server stability, lack of core online features, and now the inclusion of the expansion pack. Since its release, Nintendo has made the decision to try and make the pack look even better and pull in new subscribers. It has not only included the DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons but also the Booster Course Pack for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and most recently it has thrown in the Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion. Nintendo seems committed to adding more DLC to the expansion pack offerings, and it should consider tossing the Super Smash Bros Ultimate Fighter Passes into the mix.
Nintendo Has Added Lots of DLC
When the Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online was announced, many users were skeptical about just what this service would offer. For an additional $30 a year, coming out to $49.99, subscribers would seemingly get the same unreliable online gaming service plus the addition of N64 games and Sega Genesis games. For many, that did not seem worth it as the base plan of $19.99/year did everything that they needed it to do. Then, Nintendo announced that it would be adding Happy Home Paradise to the deal at no additional cost. This helped the value of the expansion pack increase, as long as those who wanted to subscribe were fans of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
At its core, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a single-player title with some online features. Happy Home Paradise would continue this trend of being largely single-player and thus seemed like an interesting DLC choice for an online subscription. Nintendo wanted to increase the value of the expansion pack past Animal Crossing fans and nostalgia-filled gamers, so it announced that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass would also be included at no extra charge. This addition not only increased the value of the pack for Mario Kart fans, but it also made more sense to include as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a multiplayer-focused game and fans of the title are more likely to already have the base Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Most recently, Nintendo showed that it was even willing to go back into its DLC catalog and offer up a pack that came out four years ago. Those who subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will now receive the Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion at no extra cost. With Splatoon 3 on the horizon, including this DLC pack was an interesting choice but further cemented Nintendo's want to get people to subscribe to the Expansion. Unlike the Booster Course Pack, the majority of the content on offer with this DLC is strictly single-player while the base game is multiplayer-focused. This inclusion will help boost Splatoon 2 player numbers, get people excited for Splatoon 3, and further increase the value of the expansion pack.
Smash Bros is Perfect for an Online Subscription
Perhaps one of the best options for addition to the Expansion Pack would be the inclusion of the Super Smash Bros Ultimate Fighter Passes. Just like Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros Ultimate is very much a multiplayer game, and fans of the title are much more likely to have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership. Adding the fighter passes to the DLC offerings will get those who may have been holding out on buying the packs due to the price and Smash Bros fans who may be looking for some new content to chew through to subscribe.
The Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass is helping to revitalize the game and is providing Nintendo Switch Online subscribers with content to check out with their friends. The two fighter passes would do the same thing for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Offering multiplayer-focused DLC packs for multiplayer games on an online subscription service only makes sense. If Nintendo is willing to add DLC that came out four years ago, then nothing is stopping it from adding all sorts of DLC to the offerings.
The Super Smash Bros Ultimate Fighter Passes seem to be the perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Not only does it provide more content to play online with friends, but it also helps increase the value of the expansion pack immensely. As Nintendo keeps increasing the offerings of Nintendo Switch Online, it needs to strongly consider taking a look at Smash Bros.