The paid extras for Nintendo Switch, called Nintendo Switch Online, make it possible to save save games in the cloud, but not every game will support this. Nintendo now says that some games are being banned to prevent cheating.
“In certain games, cloud saves can make it possible, for example, to recover an item that has been traded with another player, or a higher rank in multiplayer, which was lost,” Nintendo said in a statement to Ars Technica, among others. Games that don’t support cloud saves include Pokémon Let’s Go, Dead Cells and Splatoon 2. In particular, Nintendo wants to protect the online leaderboards. Ars Technica notes that it makes no sense that Arms, another first-party Nintendo game with online leaderboards, is likely to get cloud saving.
The absence of cloud saves on certain games is made even more problematic by the fact that it’s the only simple way to back up your save games. The other way to do that is to transfer a complete system image from one Switch to another.
In addition to Pokémon Let’s Go, Dead Cells and Splatoon 2, at least Dark Souls Remastered, FIFA 19, NBA 2K19 and NBA Playgrounds will not receive cloud saves. This list is based on Nintendo.com product pages and is likely to change or grow.
The service, called Nintendo Switch Online, will be available sometime later in September and will cost $19.99 per year. In addition to cloud saving on select titles, players will gain access to a collection of 20 classic NES games, including Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros. and more.
Nintendo was supposed to hold a Nintendo Direct livestream a few days ago that may have revealed more about Nintendo Switch Online, but it has been postponed indefinitely due to the earthquake that hit the country last Wednesday.