On Halloween, Nintendo brought no tricks but plenty of treats. They also announced that the platform Nintendo Music was officially released. Gamers can now play their favorite songs from Kirby, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and more wherever and whenever. This is a completely different approach from how Nintendo used to treat their fans sharing their music online.
Who has access to the platform?
Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members in the US and Canada can use the new service. Users can choose to pay a $3.99 monthly subscription or pay $19.99 for the year as some bang for your buck. However, if you are already a Nintendo Switch Online member, there is no additional cost.
Users must have a Nintendo Switch Online membership and a compatible device to access all the features (including listening to the music in the app or downloading it for offline use). The official app can also be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Nintendo Music is bringing the heat
The music library available on the new service has a mix of both current and throwback favorites, “including songs from franchises such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Pikmin, Metroid, and Donkey Kong Country” and Animal Crossing. There is even more to come, though, with the library planning to expand over time.
There are customization features, including the ability to make playlists and loop tracks or adjust the playback settings. For those who love getting interactive, there are social options, including being able to curate and “share personal playlists with other members, while Nintendo integrates with users’ Nintendo Switch Play Activity to deliver personalized music recommendations based on their gaming habits.”
If you don’t want to see music from certain games yet, don’t worry—there is a search filter to be able to hide games you are saving for later.
Nintendo is opening its arms (and library) to fans
With the platform currently available in 45 countries, including the US, Canada, and Japan, Nintendo Music is making their soundtracks available for fans, which is a 180 turn from their previous track record.
Youtuber DeoxysPrime, in May 2022, was hit with over 500 copyright strikes for posting Nintendo music on the YouTube channel. Months before, in January, Youtuber SiIvaGunner said they received over 4,000 strikes.
Nevertheless, it seems that Nintendo has had a change of heart — and more products are coming soon. They released the Alarmo Clock in October as well, with users able to “customize the alarm clock’s animations, sounds, and characters from Nintendo games” like Zelda or Super Mario. The company is also coming out with the Switch 2 for their elated fanbase, hopefully next year, according to Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo.
With the news of Nintendo Music and the Switch 2 hopefully dropping sooner than I AM MUSIC, gamers are looking forward to seeing what’s next from the pop culture icon.
