Nintendo is Launching A Switch Online Playtest Program, For A “New Feature” They Won’t Reveal

Nintendo is launching a  Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program, sharing details for when the test will happen and how players can apply.

Nintendo explained it this way:

“We will perform a test called Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program related to a new feature for the Nintendo Switch Online service offered for the Nintendo Switch™ system.”

As you can see, Nintendo isn’t disclosing what ‘new feature’ they are testing for now. Of course, we will likely find out what this feature will be sometime before or on the date of the playtests itself.

So, this program is open for the owners of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, that was active since October 9, 2024 3 PM PT. They need to be 18 years old as of October 9, 2024 3 PM PT, and they need to have a Nintendo Account registered in the US, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, or Spain.

They didn’t state this directly, but it should be clear that players who are sharing a Switch Online Family Plan aren’t eligible to apply. It has to be the owner of the Nintendo account who has the membership.

Subsequently, the test could be open to players who don’t live in the US, or the other countries mentioned, but do have an account registered to those countries. It’s an open secret that a lot of gamers around the world have adopted the practice of registering US accounts on their consoles, so they can access the games and services available in the US. On the flip side, some gamers in the US have Japanese region accounts for their consoles too.

But if the feature has potential regional limitations, Nintendo may screen those applicants away. Of course, Nintendo will be able to verify who is using an account outside the actual countries listed, and they’re giving themselves grace to screen.

The official recruitment period is from October 10, 2024 8 AM PT to October 15, 2024, 7:%9 AM PT. Applicants in Japan may be chosen via raffle if the numbers are too high, while applicants everywhere else will get in on  a first come first serve basis. Nintendo seems to be targeting to recruit a modest 10,000 participants.

The playtest period is happening from October 23, 2024, 6 AM PT, to November 5, 2024, 4:59 PM PT. Now, we won’t speculate on what this feature is, but Nintendo definitely knows, even if they try to tie players to an NDA, that someone is going to leak it by this time. And it might happen days before that, as soon as the recruitment period.

But we will say this. If this new feature has something to do with the Switch 2, then Nintendo may also be planning to announce the console before the playtest starts. It would make leaking the feature moot and academic, and we can definitely see Nintendo planning out this playtest and the announcement with all of this in mind.