Nintendo Switch Online is about to get a big update to improve the service, Nintendo has suggested.
In a new statement to investors, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that the company is looking at ways to boost the service and make it more appealing.
The improvements are necessary due to the number of people opting for monthly memberships instead of annual.
It’s possible we’ll hear more during this week’s rumoured Nintendo Direct, which either takes place or will be announced on February 13.
Furukawa explains more: “We are not disclosing details by each membership plan but among consumers who have purchased memberships, however, a growing percentage is now opting for shorter plans like the one-month membership.
“This is in contrast to the situation around the end of October of last year, when we reported that over half were opting for a 12-month family or individual membership.”
In a situation described as critical, Furukawa said Nintendo plans to enrich the content on offer.
“It is critical that these members want to continue using the service for a long time rather than letting it expire, and for that we need to build relationships with consumers and enrich the content.
“With this in mind, we are currently planning ways to boost the appeal of the service on a yearly basis. We will announce more details as soon as we are ready.”
Subscribers currently receive free NES games as part of the service, plus cloud saves and access to online multiplayer.
Recent reports suggest that SNES games will be added to the Nintendo Switch Online library very soon.
As previously reported, files discovered by Kapu (via Nintendo Life) showed that 22 SNES games are being planned for the Nintendo Switch Online service.
This includes Super Nintendo heavyweights like Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario World and Super Metroid, as well as the ultra-rare Star Fox 2, Breath of Fire 2 and Pop’n Twinbee.
Nintendo has since added English and Spanish language descriptions of some of the games, which suggests a release is imminent.
A Switch release for the Metroid Prime Trilogy and a new Super Mario Maker is also rumoured for this week’s Nintendo Direct conference.