Nintendo is getting closer and closer to nailing down an official release date for the Switch’s paid online subscription service and is now saying that Nintendo Switch Online will launch in the second half of September.
While it’s not anything particularly concrete, the announcement does shave two weeks off the prospective release date for the service, which itself was originally slated to launch in Fall of 2017 before eventually being pushed back to sometime in September 2018.
Once up and running, Nintendo Switch Online will lock multiplayer play and online features like voice chat on the Switch behind a payment wall, though there have been rumors that online play in free-to-play games like Epic’s Fortnite will be excluded from the plan.
Additionally, enrolling in the program grants paying players access to a library of classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros 3 and Dr. Mario along with member-exclusive deals on the Nintendo eShop.
Pricing, meanwhile, hasn’t changed for the Nintendo Switch Online service; Nintendo still plans to offer access at $3.99 for 1 month, $7.99 for 3 months, for $19.99 for 12 months.
#NintendoSwitchOnline will launch in the second half of September. The service provides access to online play & Save Data Cloud backup in compatible games and a growing library of NES titles with added online play.https://t.co/74Hzxk9spt pic.twitter.com/JtNgmjnilE
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 10, 2018