Nintendo has finally revealed the price for their new Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack today during the Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct which revealed an all-new paid DLC expansion to the game.
The service will include a collection of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, certain games can be played online with friends. Another perk of the service was revealed to be that the $25 expansion to Animal Crossing New Horizons will be included as part of your subscription.
So what is the price of this new expansion? The Expansion Pack will cost fans an unexpected $50 a year compared to the service’s base $20 plan. Users can also opt to do a family plan for up to 8 users for $80 a year.
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Speculation for how much the service would be has been a heavy point of discussion since it was announced back in September’s Nintendo Direct. Most fans were expecting a $10 or worst-case scenario $20 price increase. It’s safe to say quite a few fans have been caught off guard by this announcement.
If this were just the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games I would definitely be a part of the crowd saying that the Nintendo Switch Online: Expansion Pack would definitely not be worth it. However, for Animal Crossing fans, it does include the upcoming paid DLC which is a $25 value. Hopefully, for non Animal Crossing fans, this means that Nintendo is open to making other DLC packs available for people who purchase the Nintendo Switch Online: Expansion Pack.
Fan Reaction To The Nintendo Switch Online: Expansion Pack’s Pricepoint
The majority of fans are definitely fairly upset by this announcement. Especially considering the base service is $30 less and the upgrade doesn’t offer all that much more than what they already give you.
Sure they offer Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games to be played online, but a lot of fans argue that this isn’t enough to warrant such a step pay increase. If it weren’t for the inclusion of the Animal Crossing DLC I venture to say that fans would consider this an outrage and I don’t think I could blame them.
The service doesn’t include any sort of intuitive friends system, it has no voice chat, and there are no dedicated servers which are especially noticeable in games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Here are what some fans had to say on Twitter about today’s announcement:
If Nintendo decided to add more features to the service such as voice chat or dedicated servers I think it would be a little easier to get behind a service comparable to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live. However, right now Nintendo Switch Online offers none of that and only gives fans games from 20-30 years ago while their competitors are offering current or last-gen AAA games for a comparable price.
I think a lot more people would be interested in the Nintendo Switch Online expansion if they include more games from other systems such as Gameboy/Color/Advance, Nintendo DS, or even Gamecube games. Again PlayStation and Xbox give fans so much more for only $10 more, so more games is the least Nintendo could do to give fans a reason to buy into the Expansion Pack.
As an Animal Crossing fan, I will more than likely be getting this upgrade. However, I can totally understand why some people won’t be getting the upgrade as if you’re not an AC fan you won’t really get much more out of this than if you just got the regular $20 subscription.
What are your thoughts on this? Are you planning on buying the Nintendo Switch Online: Expansion Pack for $50 a year? Let us know in the comments below! Also, be sure to follow The Illuminerdi on social media to be notified of more gaming news and updates like this in the future!
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