The ability to back up local game saves into the cloud is a feature Nintendo has long touted as a selling point for its Nintendo Switch Online service launching Sept. 18. Those cloud saves, however, will be lost if a customer allows their subscription to lapse.

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"Save data stored with Save Data Cloud cannot be kept outside of the duration of your Nintendo Switch Online membership," reads an FAQ on Nintendo's U.K. website . "Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online also uses the Save Data Cloud, so the same applies. However, if you keep the Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online save data saved locally on your Nintendo Switch console, then you can use it again if you purchase another membership." A similar FAQ on Nintendo's U.S. site essentially says the same: "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."By comparison, Xbox One cloud backup saves are available to all players, no subscription needed. And while Sony requires a PlayStation Plus subscription for users to take advantage of cloud saves, those saves are preserved for six months and become accessible again if users resubscribe to PlayStation Plus within that six-month window.Nintendo's cloud save page now also has a footnote explaining that not all games support cloud saves at all. It's a reality that came to light earlier this week when it was discovered Pokemon Let's Go, Splatoon 2, and others won't have cloud save functionality . With the Nintendo Switch Online service just days away from launch, you can read up on all the known details about it

Nick Santangelo is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. He loves video games and sports, but not sports video games. Follow him on Twitter