Nintendo is hiring engineers for Switch Online, hinting the service could move to Switch 2

Nintendo is currently hiring for several positions related to its Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, strongly hinting that the service could move to the Switch’s successor.

As reported Nintendo LifeX / Twitter user “Stealth” spotted that Nintendo is hiring a Front-End Engineer, Back-End Engineer, and Director/Planner, all related to Nintendo Switch Online. In a follow-up article, they add that the company “added more than 400 employees to its workforce last year” and that: “It is currently the largest company it has ever been.”

As other users on social media have pointed out, if Nintendo is recruiting specifically for the Switch Online service, that’s a strong indication that it will be ported to the (tentatively named) Nintendo Switch 2.

This bodes well for several reasons. This could mean that existing cloud-based retro game libraries will remain intact. Additionally, features from NSO’s Expansion Pack level could also be retained.

This would mean that players still have access to DLC packs like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster course pass and Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion, which further hints at backwards compatibility with existing Nintendo Switch titles. Of course, all of this should be taken with a pinch of salt as Nintendo hasn’t confirmed anything directly, but it’s overall promising news.

As it stands, Nintendo has had a controversial history when it comes to online services and their reboot. At the time, the Nintendo Wii offered free online play and a robust virtual console library with games that could be downloaded and played natively. This diminished slightly on Wii U and disappeared entirely on Nintendo Switch until Switch Online arrived.

Even today, Switch Online pales in comparison to the vast virtual console library, and having games locked to a dedicated online service is undoubtedly a downgrade for many. Still, at least with its next console, it seems likely that Nintendo won’t wipe the slate clean once again.

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