Nintendo Switch Online has 32 million subscribers

Nintendo had a total of 32 million subscribers for its Nintendo Switch Online service as of September 30 of this year. At around the same time last year, there were still 26 million, which means a net increase of 6 million subscribers.

The impact of the introduction of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription has not been included in those figures: it only became available to Switch owners on October 25. Furthermore, it is clear that the growth has slowed somewhat compared to what Nintendo reported last year: when it gained 11 million customers. At the time, Nintendo owed that growth to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Nintendo attributes the growth to “service improvements,” such as Game Trial events, where a game is temporarily playable by subscribers even if they haven’t purchased it, and games that subscribers get for free with Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo says they will “continue to improve” the service.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack introduces the ability to play Nintendo 64 games on the console. Currently, the service offers nine games, including Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64 and Star Fox 64. Later, the service will also offer SEGA Mega Drive games. The new subscription costs 40 euros per year, double the price of the included Nintendo Switch Online subscription and its price of 20 euros per year.

The new service and its N64 games are also currently experiencing some technical glitches, such as input lag, framerate issues, and graphics that don’t match the original games.

Nintendo also announced this week that nearly 93 million Nintendo Switch units have been sold since its release. The company sold 3.8 million consoles in the past quarter. The Switch OLED is not included in those figures due to its very recent release.