Nintendo Reveals New NSO Subscriber, Nintendo Account Milestones

Nintendo recently hosted its annual corporate management policy briefing. While the meeting was largely devoted to outlining the company's corporate philosophy and its ongoing plans to expand the reach of its IP, Nintendo did reveal some interesting new details during the briefing, including its latest Nintendo Account and Switch Online subscriber milestones.

According to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, more than 200 million Nintendo Accounts have now been created worldwide. "We have worked to expand our IP beyond the dedicated video game platform business to reach consumers who don't own any of our game systems. This resulted in a substantial increase in consumers creating a Nintendo Account, thanks in particular to the release of the Mario Kart Tour mobile application," Furukawa said.

Furukawa also noted that the number of Nintendo Account holders has been "steadily increasing alongside the growing install base of Nintendo Switch." The accounts will continue to be an integral part of Nintendo's plans going forward. "In the future, the Nintendo Account program will continue to provide an important foundation for delivering our products and IP," Furukawa said.

Additionally, Nintendo revealed that there are now more than 26 million subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online, the company's paid online service for Switch--up from 15 million subscribers back in May of this year. "Membership numbers have grown alongside hardware sales at a steady pace, with spikes prompted by hit games that support online play," Furukawa noted. The most recent example is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which launched back in March and has been an astronomical success, selling more than 22 million copies as of June.

Another component of Nintendo Switch Online is its NES and SNES libraries, which Nintendo periodically expands with additional games. Another batch is coming today, September 23, and it includes Donkey Kong Country 2, Mario's Super Picross, and more. Switch Online subscribers will also be able to download and play Super Mario Bros. 35, a free battle royale-style version of the NES classic, for a limited time starting October 1.