Nintendo has revealed that Nintendo Switch Online has more than 34 million subscribers, a tally which was accurate as of 30 September 2024.
The news about the paid membership service came as part of a presentation that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa gave at the company’s second quarter financial results and corporate management policy briefing, which explored the the structural changes that had surrounded its dedicated video game platform business.
That is a decline from the more than 36 million subscribers that Nintendo Switch Online had in September 2022, which the company attributed “to fewer new releases in the past year focusing on online play.” However, they have observed that Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriptions have been “steadily increasing” since it was introduced in 2021.
In looking to continue to make subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online more attractive, its most recent addition was Nintendo Music. This music streaming service is exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers and is accessed through a smartphone app.
When a shareholder asked whether Nintendo Music would eventually become a touch point for those without Nintendo Switch Online, Furukawa responded:
“Nintendo Switch Online is designed to enhance the experience of using Nintendo Switch and that basic objective remains unchanged.
“Nintendo Music is an app for Nintendo Switch Online members to listen to Nintendo game music on their smart devices. Game music is an important part of our content library, and we believe the service aligns with our strategy to expand the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP. We launched Nintendo Music to deliver this game music to our consumers in a way unique to Nintendo.
“We think that if people listen to Nintendo Music and that brings back memories of playing
our games, it might encourage them to pick up those games again.
“In turn, we hope that Nintendo Music will become an additional reason for people to maintain their Nintendo Switch Online memberships.”
