Nintendo's new online service for the Switch, Nintendo Online, has been officially launched, but already early on there has been some possible issues regarding how restrictive the service may be.
It has been reported that LEGO Worlds, the LEGO-based sandbox game by Warner Bros. Interactive, has had all of its DLC locked behind Nintendo Online.
The issue stemmed from user @PaulJHaan on Twitter, who showed how DLC for LEGO Worlds was no longer accessible to him, as a Nintendo Switch Online membership was now required.
"I knew a Nintendo Switch Online account would be needed for #MarioKat & #SuperSmashBros. I didn't think it would lock @LEGOWorldsGame DLC behind the pay wall!" he said on twitter. The DLC in question by Haan, who is a contributor to the website Bricks to Life, is a showcase brick build model, a more complex DLC model that can normally be downloaded for free.
Haan would contact Warner Bros. for more information, and shared with them an email pointing them to Nintendo Support, stating that it was "recent policy changes per Nintendo requiring an Online account to access this content is a proper function going forward."
https://twitter.com/pauljhaan/status/1043895379916464129
Per Haan, Nintendo customer service is aware of the issue and has filed a complaint with their "new situation team."
Nintendo has been clear that several first-party titles, such as Splatoon 2 and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, will have some of its access restricted behind their new online service. What has been unclear is how this would affect third-party games, such as LEGO Worlds, but no one expected that content that is playable offline might be locked behind Nintendo Online.
The Nintendo Switch Online service is currently set up with a few payment plans, with the standard year subscription being $20 in total. Features included with the service include access to classic NES games, online chat via your mobile devices for certain games, and new local and online multiplayer built into both NES and current titles.
We reached out to both Warner Bros. and Nintendo for more information this story. We will update it if we get a response.
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