Nintendo drops info on new subscription pricing & paid Animal Crossing DLC

Nintendo debuted the last of its planned Animal Crossing downloadable content today, and also took the opportunity to reveal the pricing plans for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack--its enhanced subscription services that offers players access to Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn games.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be getting a final free update on November 5th that will feature a cooking system, the return of the coffee-pouring owl Brewster and the collectible Gyroids. Additionally, the game will receive its first paid downloadable content: Animal Crossing: New Horizons -- Happy Home Paradise. The DLC is centered around a home designing system first appeared in the Nintendo 3DS spinoff Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.

Players can access Happy Home Paradise by either paying a one-time fee of $24.99 or picking up the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service.

Meanwhile the announced price for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will be $49.99 for 12 months, or $79.99 for 12 months if you're on the family plan. A regular Nintendo Switch Online plan costs $19.99 per year with the family plan clocking in at $34.99 per year.

That's a hefty chunk of change Nintendo is expecting people to pay for retro games and some Animal Crossing DLC. 

With the news that this is the last set of expansions that will be made for Animal Crossing, it's interesting to see that Nintendo ultimately decided to not treat its 2020 smash hit as a live service title. Updates for the game have been sparse (but free), this final batch of content will keep dedicated players occupied for years to come.

It'll also be worth watching how Nintendo expands its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service to entice more players into spending that extra cash. Its offerings are a bit sparse for the moment, but if the company aims to bolster that service, we may see more added in 2022.