Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack memberships will launch on Oct. 25, 2021, and will only be offered in annual subscription periods, costing $49.99 USD for an individual plan and $79.99 for a family plan for 12 months, Nintendo announced Friday.
The Expansion Pack is an optional premium upgrade that at launch, invites its Nintendo Switch Online subscribers to access all of the features of its base membership, plus a collection of nine Nintendo 64 games and 14 SEGA Genesis games, and the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC releasing on Nov. 5, 2021.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack launches 10/25!
Gain access to:
– Library of #Nintendo64 & SEGA Genesis games
– #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise at no additional cost
– All other benefits of a #NintendoSwitchOnline membershiphttps://t.co/LUjTCpLg3v pic.twitter.com/P3YEdVtp2Z— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 15, 2021
Aside from the new and improved features coming to the Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis offerings, such as suspend points, gameplay rewinds and online multiplayer, however, it seems a lot of those in the Nintendo community are skeptical about the price tag of the new offering.
Nintendo Switch Online quietly confirms its price will raise from $20/year to $50/year with the Online Expansion Pack.
My family plan for my wife and I will go from $35 to $80/year.
A bold and wildly questionable price increase. We don’t even have party chat on Switch…
— Mi ? les (@MilesDompier) October 15, 2021
In comparison, the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership costs $19.99 USD annually for an individual account and $34.99 for a family pack.
Some gripes players interested in the Expansion Plan seem to be having, as voiced on Twitter, are:
3rd parties titles (Konami, Capcom) are also being licensed for Genesis NSO. So the licensing costs begin to add up after awhile.
And who knows what licensing agreement/arrangement Nintendo had with Rare/Microsoft…
— Emily Rogers (@EmilyRogersBlog) October 15, 2021
According to prominent industry insider Emily Rogers, who often shares information about Nintendo and Nintendo-related projects, the licensing fees Nintendo is paying SEGA and other third-party companies for their games could have played a part in the expansion pack pricing.
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