Reggie on why Nintendo views Nintendo Switch Online as a VC successor, believes people will subscribe
Ever since the Wii era, Nintendo has offered classic games through the Virtual Console. Yet on Switch, the Virtual Console is dead as we know it. Nintendo still intends to have classics ready through Nintendo Switch Online, but at least initially, we’ll only be seeing NES games – albeit with extra bells and whistles like online features.
In an interview with IGN at E3, Nintendo of America president spoke about how Nintendo sees Nintendo Switch Online as somewhat of a Virtual Console successor. The company will make a slate of classics available, with the lineup expanding over time.
Reggie stated:
“The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online, right? With the mentality that says we’re going to be offering a slate of games, and it’s a slate that’s going to increase over time. For many of these games, there’s going to be additional online capability provided in those games. That’s the vision we have for how to best bring our legacy content to Nintendo Switch.”
When Nintendo Switch Online does arrive in September, players will need to pay for a subscription if they want to play online. That’s a notable shift from the current situation in which the functionality is free. However, Reggie does believe people will subscribe due to what Nintendo Switch Online offers.
He said:
“We do [believe people will subscribe], and I say that because what we’ve laid out is a proposition where, yes you get the competitive play accessibility, you also get the cloud save, and you get access to the legacy content. That’s a fantastic proposition for $20 a year. We believe that it’s not going to be any type of issue for us. In fact, it’s going to enable us to continue offering a varied slate of opportunities from an online experience standpoint.”
