There may not have been a better pleasant surprise thanthe suddenly-announcedTetris 99, a multiplayer game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch Online service. Turning the familiarTetrisformula into an absurd yet addicting battle royale extravaganza proved successful, and for many, justified their subscription to a so-so service. According to a Q&A with investors, Nintendo intends to feature more exclusive content in that ilk.
This Q&A was regarding the fiscal year ending in March 2019 and hasan official translationfrom Nintendo. In it, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa fielded a number of questions about the company’s business strategies, one such question asking aboutthe 9.8 million Nintendo Switch Online members. Furukawa explained his thoughts on the growth of the service:
People may come and go when games likeSplatoon 2andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatereach their peak, butTetris 99has been more than a good enough reason to stay on. But the company strategy can’t fall on just one game, so the intriguing phrasing from Furukawa here is “we need to continue offering elements like this.” While this can mean a number of things, one would hope that new exclusive games are a part of that.
Looking at other competing online subscription services, there aren’t too many different elements that Nintendo could incorporate—the lower price for the Switch online service might not be enough to justify free full games like with Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, and Nintendo would likely consider their offering of free NES games,a library that expands every month, to be enough. In fact, those NES games appear to be another element bringing fans back into the service, according to Furukawa:
Tetris 99has helped maintain Nintendo Switch engagement, as well as increase the number of new members joining Nintendo Switch Online. And when we add new titles to Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online, one of the services available to Nintendo Switch Online members, we see consumers returning to play on Nintendo Switch.
So perhaps free games are indeed the way to go. While Nintendo would probably try to come up with more original ideas, I’d certainly love to continue the “99” theme.Dr. Mario99, anyone? Maybe aWarioWarebattle royale? Time will only tell, but perhaps Nintendo has a few more surprises to drop on us duringtheir E3 2019 showings.
