10 Reasons Nintendo Have Us WORRIED
5. Wii U And 3DS EShop Closures Is A Troubling Sign
Nintendo Switch Online (and its sometimes confusing Expansion Pack) is a broad success, rising to 36 million subscribers in late 2022. Offering DLC for Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon 2 next to access to N64 and Genesis/Mega Drive games, it's pretty good value.
Unbelievably, Nintendo fans have witnessed the launch of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance Games on Switch. Years ago, this was nothing more than rumour. Prior to Nintendo Switch Online, the Virtual Console was the only storefront for Wii, Wii U, and 3DS owners to buy older games, one at a time.
Accessing everything for a flat fee is a better model. Though with the closure of Wii U and 3DS eShops, news headlines everywhere are cautioning customers to buy and download everything they want before 27 March 2023.
There may be trouble ahead.
The Expansion Pack could introduce DS/3DS games. But Nintendo must reassure long-time owners of access to classic titles, and that this access won't suddenly disappear when they one day decide to take the service down.