Switch owners have breathed a communal sigh of relief; Fortnite won’t require a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. Following Thursday’s massive Nintendo Direct which shed light on Switch Online’s features, Fortnite players were understandably on edge, wondering whether they would have to sign up to the new service when it goes live next week simply to keep playing the battle royale title free of charge.
The new Switch service is required to play a large share of first and third party Switch games, including heavy hitters of the ilk of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This led many to speculate Fortnite would not longer be free-to-play, requiring players to spend $20.00 a year on Switch Online membership
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Additionally, the Japanese video game giant confirmed other features would not require membership. These range from access to the eShop and social sharing features to updates and friend lists.
This is undoubtedly good news for Nintendo. Wrapped in the panoply of Switch Online details, a few draconian features emerged notably that cloud saves would be deleted if membership was terminated or expired and NES games would only be accessible pending a weekly log in to the Online service.
The fact Fortnite and other games won’t require membership is sure to assuage any concerns over Switch Online following in the footsteps of competitor console services and stringently limiting multiplayer.