On Friday morning, Nintendo announced its official release plans for theNintendo Switch Online Expansion Packsubscription.Nintendo Switch Onlinecombined with the Expansion Pack will cost a substantial $49.99 a year, up from $19.99 for the standard subscription. The Expansion Pack will include access to a library of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, as well as DLC likeAnimal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise. That may seem like a significant price increase for the included content, but there may be a good reason why.
Emily Rogers, an industry insider that often shares information about Nintendo and Nintendo-related projects, discussed something she’d heard followingFriday’sAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsDirect. Rogers says that she’d heard Sega is being paid “very, very well” for licensing the Sega Genesis games including in Nintendo’s Expansion Pack subscription. Rogers speculates that it’s these licensing costs that have led to the $30 price increase for the Expansion Pack.
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Whether those licensing costs add up to a staggering $30 price increase is another matter entirely, however. If the subscription wasn’t lucrative for Nintendo, then it wouldn’t be offering the Expansion Pack at all. There’s also the fact that Nintendo will be wanting to expand the content available on the Expansion Pack over time, but won’t want to adjust the price. As such, there has to be room within the price to increase third-party licensing, unless Nintendo has no plans to add otherSega Genesis games.
While it may seem prudent to try and understand and explain the reason why Nintendo is charging an additional $30 a year for its Expansion Pack, the reasons why are ultimately less important than if it’s worth it to individual Switch gamers. Less than $3 more a month for access to over a dozen classic games, includingSuper Mario 64andThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is certain to appeal to a number of Nintendo fans.
TheNintendo Switch Online Expansion Packis slated to release on October 25. It’ll raise the annual price of aNintendo Switch Onlinesubscription from $20 a year to $50, or from $35 to $80 for a Family Membership. There are no current options to pay for the Expansion Pack on a monthly or 3-month schedule.
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