Japanese players are about to get a brand new
Nintendo Switch Splatoon 2 bundle that comes with a free Nintendo Switch Online trial. The original
Splatoon 2 bundle released in the US included the neon green and neon pink Joy-Con controllers, as well as the download code for Splatoon 2. The only difference with Japan's bundle is that it included the same Joy-Con controllers and a physical copy of the game.
Both
Splatoon 2 bundles were released in August of last year but it is now making a comeback—or at least it is in Japan, as of now—and what's interesting about this new bundle is that it will include a 90-day free Nintendo Switch Online trial. The new
Online service by Nintendo was announced earlier in May and will become available in September of this year. The thing about this service is that it will be required to play online titles—something that has been free since the console's launch.
Splatoon 2 is one of Nintendo's new IPs that mainly focus on online play, so it is one of the titles that are at risk of losing an important part of its online community once the Nintendo Switch Online service goes live. While Splatoon 2 is by no mean the only first party title that features online gamaplay, it's likely one of the most popular ones—that is until
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is released in
December. Other titles like
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also feature online modes but don't rely on it as much as
Splatoon 2 does, so it is only natural that Nintendo decided to offer a free Nintendo Switch Online trial for people that purchase the bundle.
The Nintendo Switch Online service not only locks online gameplay but it also offers other interesting features like the
Save Date Cloud Backup service that will allow players to save their data online, as well as the
Nintendo Entertainment System feature that promises to include over 20 NES classics—and hopefully more to come—with added online play.
Nintendo offering a new bundle with a Nintendo Switch Online free service is, hopefully, the first of many to come. With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate just around the corner, it is likely that they will decide to make a bundle out of it and include a free trial with it. While Nintendo Switch Online isn't really expensive, it is still a long way before it's actually worth paying for, and things like the new
Splatoon 2 bundle are a great incentive that helps promote this new service.