As part of a corporate policy briefing on the fiscal year ending March 2021, Nintendo offered a few updates on its business, and plans for the remainder of the fiscal year. Nintendo Switch Online, the company’s paid online service, has now amassed over 26 million paid subscribers as of September. Switch Online is exclusive to Switch, and is required to play games online, similar to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold.
This is up from 15 million in January, meaning Animal Crossing: New Horizons is partially responsible for that rise. New Horizons quickly became a hit after its release in March, and has now sold over 22 million copies. Nintendo also said that other online-enabled games like Super Mario Bros. Ultimate, and Pokemon have contributed to this rise. Nintendo also revealed that over 200 million players now have Nintendo accounts, spread across Switch and mobile. The company noted a boost to the number of registered users at the Switch launch, and again with the release of Mario Kart Tour last year. Nintendo continues to grow its user base, particularly beyond those who already own a console. While Nintendo accounts are free, they open new players up to Nintendo’s portfolio, which means they can be monetised in some way, whether on mobile or Switch.
