Previously, a Nintendo U.K. FAQ mentioned "Save data stored with Save Data Cloud cannot be kept outside of the duration of your Nintendo Switch Online membership," suggesting cloud saves would be lost forever should a subscription lapse for any reason. While there is a timer on how long players will have to resubscribe, and players won't be able to access those saves without a subscription, Nintendo's clarified policy does give players 180 days to resubscribe and regain their saves.Nintendo has previously confirmed, however, that some Nintendo Switch games, such as Splatoon 2 and Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, will not support cloud saves. Nintendo explained that "The vast majority of Nintendo Switch games will support Save Data Cloud backup. However, in certain games this feature would make it possible to, for example, regain items that had been traded to other players, or revert to a higher online multiplayer ranking that had been lost. To ensure fair play, Save Data Cloud backup may not be enabled for such games."
For more on the service's functionality, be sure to check out our wiki guide about how Nintendo Switch cloud saves work.If you're curious to learn more about the service and haven't subscribed yet, be sure to check out everything we know about Nintendo Switch Online, including more details about the classic NES games that come with the service and that you can use My Nintendo gold points to pay for your subscription service. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's News Editor. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
