Nintendo Switch Online subscribers across Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED are unhappy with a certain aspect of the subscription service. Of course, there are two reasons most Nintendo Switch owners are subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. One of these reasons is the ability to play online games. And the other reason is to access the library of retro games from consoles such as the NES, SNES, Game Boy, and N64. The subscription service does have other perks though, such as exclusive profile icons. There are some restrictions involving profile icons Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are not very happy about though.
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For those that don’t know, when Nintendo Switch Online releases new icons, they are available to everyone. Yet, when these icons returns for a second wave, they are limited to those who own the game. It doesn’t matter if a subscriber has the Platinum Points or not, they also need to own the game if they want to download the icons. This is one of the two restrictions subscribers over on Reddit aren’t very pleased about.
“Why does Nintendo have this stupid restriction with buying profile icons with Platinum Points,” reads a popular post on the Nintendo Switch Reddit page. “Why do you have to own the game that you want to buy icons for with platinum points? That was not the way it was before. I used to just buy whatever icons were available even if I didn’t have the game. When did they change it? And why?”
In the same post, and in the comments of the post as well, how the Animal Crossing: New Horizons icons are handled has also been lamented. Not only do subscribers need to own the game, but have played the game recently to claim the icons, another odd hurdle to make subscribers jump. For example, to download the September Animal Crossing icons, subscribers needed to have recently played the game three times across three different days. Those that didn’t meet the requirements will need to wait until next September to get a second chance at the same icons.
“This is one of the worst systems I think the Switch has ever had,” reads the aforementioned post. “This is completely anti-consumer. I really have to wait 11 months to buy them again just because Nintendo hates it’s fans. Why? Who does this benefit?”
Nintendo is not known to change course just because of a little negative feedback, so it is unlikely it will change this contentious approach to Nintendo Switch Online icons, but perhaps with Nintendo Switch 2 Online the system will be tweaked.
