Earlier this week, Nintendo’s latest financial report revealed Switch Online subscriptions had now “exceeded” 36 million paid memberships – with an increase of around four million subs compared to the previous year.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was also asked about the future of the service – explaining how Nintendo is “considering various initiatives” as well as “further enhancements to the content of the service” to keep players coming back for more. Here’s the full exchange from Nintendo’s Q&A Summary:
What kind of initiatives are you considering to further increase the number of Nintendo Switch Online members and to bolster the enthusiasm of existing members?
Furukawa: “As of September 2022, the number of paid Nintendo Switch Online members has surpassed 36 million. While there are some users who choose not to renew their memberships once they expire, the number of members is increasing overall, along with increases in people playing Nintendo Switch and titles that support online play. In addition, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, which we started last year, is accounting for a gradually increasing proportion of overall memberships thanks in part to the addition of Nintendo 64 titles.
“The goal of Nintendo Switch Online as a service is to help users to enjoy playing on Nintendo Switch for a long time, so we are considering various initiatives, including further enhancements to the content of the service. As we discussed in today’s presentation, our goal is to continue to use Nintendo Account to maintain long, positive relationships with our consumers. In line with this strategy, we consider Nintendo Switch Online as our initiative to encourage our users to continue to enjoy Nintendo Switch for many years to come.”
Although Nintendo revealed the total increase of Switch Online subscribers, it didn’t break down the exact amount of Expansion Pack users. The Expansion Pack tier adds the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive library, as well as add-on content for games.
The latest batch of N64 titles was announced in September – revealing titles such as Mario Party, Pilotwings 64, Pokémon Stadium, and even the return of Rare’s legendary first-person shooter GoldenEye 007.