Back in September, Nintendo made available their ambitious Nintendo Switch Online service; or at least that's what the company wanted customers to think, as the service was anything but ambitious upon release.
The one thing going for the service was the fact that it allowed subscribers to play their games online, which is a feature that was available for everyone prior to the online service's launch. Depending on who you ask, some may be also willing to defend the service on account of the NES feature; the poor man's version of the Virtual Console.
Against all odds, however, the company reveals that their Nintendo Switch Online service currently has a surprising 9.8 million subscribers. Considering that
Nintendo has sold 34 million Switch units worldwide, the online service is doing pretty well.
The Nintendo Switch Online service is still pretty lacking; with its biggest appeal still being online gameplay.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has expressed his desire to boost the service's appeal — and it seems to be working — but until they stop releasing NES titles and focus on bringing games from other consoles, they won't reach their full potential.
With a Nintendo Switch Online* membership, you’ll get access to online play in compatible games, a growing catalog of classic NES™ titles with newly added online play, and cloud backup for your save data in compatible games.
Nintendo Switch Online is currently available.