Nintendo recently announced that their Nintendo Switch Online service boasts over 34 million subscribers, as of September 30, 2024.
This update was shared during a presentation by Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, at the company’s briefing on their financial results and corporate strategy for the second quarter. The presentation explored the evolutionary changes in Nintendo’s video game platform business.
However, this figure marks a decrease from the more than 36 million subscribers reported in September 2022. Nintendo attributed this dip to a slowdown in new game releases that emphasize online play over the past year. On the brighter side, there has been a steady rise in subscriptions to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack since its launch in 2021.
Nintendo is keen on enhancing the appeal of its online subscription. One of their latest offerings is Nintendo Music, a music streaming service available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online members, accessible through a smartphone app.
When a shareholder raised the question of whether Nintendo Music might eventually be accessible to non-subscribers, Furukawa elaborated:
“The core purpose of Nintendo Switch Online remains to enrich the Nintendo Switch user experience.
“Nintendo Music allows our subscribers to enjoy Nintendo game music on their smart devices. This music is a vital part of our content offerings, and we see this service as a strategic move to broaden the reach of Nintendo’s intellectual properties. We introduced Nintendo Music to provide game music to our fans in a way that’s distinctly Nintendo.
“Our hope is that when people listen to Nintendo Music, it not only evokes fond memories of our games but also encourages them to play those games again.
“Furthermore, we aim for Nintendo Music to serve as an additional reason for people to keep their Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions.”
