Nintendo Switch Online has been controversial pretty much since it was announced. Nintendo gave us little to no details about the features this service would have, delayed its original release date, and when they finally shared some information it was met with disappointment from fans.
In spite of the lukewarm reception the service has had in Western countries, it seems that Nintendo Switch Online memberships are selling extremely well in Japan according to a Japanese retailer.
The news comes from Nintendo Soup, who report that Japanese retailer Tsutaya has shared more information regarding the Nintendo Switch Online prepaid cards. These prepaid cards offer a 3-month and 12-month individual plans, much like the ones customers pay for when using their credit card. The only difference here is that these are only available for one Nintendo Account, so no annual Family membership can be purchased via prepaid card.
According to Tsutaya, prepaid Nintendo Switch Online cards have been "selling extremely well" in all of their over 100 stores across the Asian country—being the 12-month plan the most sought-after. The Japanese retailer suggests that the reson behind this plan being the one in great demand is due to the fact that
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is coming out on the
7th of December, thus making customers opt for the annual plan instead of the 3-month plan that will, undoubtedly, over by the time the game comes out—which makes a lot of sense.
Nintendo has made perfectly clear that after the 18th of September—which is when the Nintendo Switch Online service launched—online play would be locked for all Nintendo Accounts that don't pay for the service.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and other titles like
Splatoon 2 and
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe can no longer be played online, as well as other titles that rely on online gameplay—so most people paying for the service aren't really paying for the other features, but rather for their right to play their games online, which is a shame given that
Nintendo still has to give players a good reason to actually want the service, instead of having players pay for the service because they simply want to play online.