[UPDATE: Nintendo reports that all servers are now operating normally.]
Nintendo Switch Online users are likely not happy right now. At the time of this writing, the console's online services are unavailable.
Nintendo Switch Online is a low-cost subscription service that allows Switch players to access online services for all of its games. While Nintendo has received some criticism for the lack of features on Nintendo Switch Online, the service is usually at least functional, but that's not the case right now.
Players started noticing that Nintendo network services were down just a short time ago. It's unclear at this time why the network is down, but according to Nintendo's network status page, all network services are currently "experiencing difficulties." This means that players can't get online to play games, nor can they reliably access the game eShop.
Ironically, this is coming hot on the heels a recent report that Nintendo is looking into improving the online service. This would likely be a welcome addition for most players, as the service lacks common functionalities like the ability to chat with friends and dedicated online servers for most first-party games. However, right now, fans would likely be happy to just see the service actually work.
Nintendo will likely need to alter or extend its online Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tournament due to the network failure. Players could enter day 2 of the tournament as early as 12 pm PT today, so some players were surely able to participate without any issues. However, with complaints about network connectivity starting up about two hours ago (as of this writing), players were cut off before the 6 pm PT deadline was reached.
Although occasional network outages often can't be helped, it's unfortunate that Nintendo, like other game networks, have seen outages during the coronavirus lockdown. Players desperate to keep in touch with friends and stay entertained at home are no doubt frustrated at this moment in time.
Nintendo hasn't offered a timeline yet as to when it expects to fix the issue, so gamers will be stuck playing offline for the forseeable future. Thankfully, local connections aren't impacted, so players can at least have fun with any fellow Switch owners at home.
Source: Nintendo
