Nintendo Switch cloud saves may be lost if online subscription lapses

Nintendo is finally rolling out cloud saves for the Switch, which will be included in the upcoming Nintendo Switch Online. The majority of games will automatically have their saves pulled into the cloud, with a few exceptions such as Pokémon: Let’s Go! and FIFA 19. While this makes for a good back-up, there’s the question of what exactly happens if you forget to renew your subscription?

The Nintendo Switch Online FAQ implied that cloud data would be lost the moment a Nintendo Switch Online account became inactive.

Save data stored via the Save Data Cloud backup is available for as long as you have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Classic games in the NES – Nintendo Switch Online collection and the save data for those games will not be removed unless the user chooses to do so manually. These items are stored locally on the Nintendo Switch system but cannot be accessed without an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Other consoles’ cloud services have some sort of back-up in place. PlayStation Plus will restore Online Game Save storage when you renew your account. Microsoft offers free cloud saves for everyone. These consoles also let you transfer save data from the console onto a USB drive, a feature which Nintendo Switch does not have.

When we reached out to Nintendo of America for a statement regarding the possible cloud save, they responded with: We have nothing to announce on this topic.

The Nintendo Switch Online service begins on Sept. 18.