As I’ve expressed many times on the Nintendo Entertainment Podcast, the Nintendo Switch Online service is something you either invest in fully, or you just use it for the online functionality because you often play games with online multiplayer. Even with the Expansion Pack options, the number of players actually on the service may not be as high as you think. With the Switch 2 launch imminent, and Mario Kart World being its launch title, it’s important that as many Nintendo gamers as possible have the online service.
To that end, during the financial briefing released last week, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa outlined what the company aimed for with the online service going forward, including its user numbers:
Part of the way they’re doing that is by adding GameCube titles to the Switch 2 version of the service. Plus, they’re adding GameChat, which will allow players to truly talk to one another via the console itself instead of an external platform.
However, Shuntaro Furukawa admits that this can’t be the online place where they innovate:
Only time will tell if they’re able to bring more gamers to the online platform this time around.
