Nintendo Switch Online: Paid Online Service Delayed, Leak Hints Fall 2018 Launch
Originally set to go live last fall, Nintendo Switch Online has been delayed to next year.
The initial news came from Nintendo Italy, who claimed that it will arrive fall 2018, a full year from its initial launch. However, this was changed to simply 2018 after other official websites followed suit to break the news.
Now, the website simply reads, "Service with registration arriving in 2018," the "autumn" mention no longer there.
It is unclear what that subtle change means, but Wccftech notes it is possible that Nintendo Italy may have spilled the beans on the more specific release date for Nintendo Switch Online before the company is ready to make the official announcement. It could also be because fall 2018 is the target launch schedule.
If fall 2018 will indeed mark the release of the paid service for the current-generation Nintendo console, the one-year worth of extra waiting could be because the company is either adding more features or is undergoing issues that will take a while to resolve.
Either way, the abovementioned publication believes that details surrounding the Nintendo Switch Online launch should be revealed as early as this January.
A leaked Electronics Arts document indicates that a Nintendo Direct will be held next month and Nintendo Switch Online is expected to be one of the topics that will be talked about there.
Nintendo Switch Online is a place for users to play compatible co-op and competitive games with a Nintendo account:
With this paid service you have access to online multiplayer and a dedicated smart device app that connects to your Nintendo Switch console and helps you connect with your friends for online gaming sessions.
More details on the service will be available before the official launch of the service.
This service will be available free of charge until its official launch in 2018.