Nintendo has offered a bit more of an explanation on what happens to the cloud saves of Nintendo Switch Online members should their subscription lapse.
Speaking to IGN a Nintendo rep explained that any save files stored in the cloud will be safe for 180 days following the end of a membership. This brings the service a bit more in line with the features that companies like Sony bundle with its own paid online subscription plan (or the one that Microsoft offers for free).
The comment from Nintendo serves to dispel earlier rumors that circulated a few weeks back as a result of a rather vague Nintendo Switch Online FAQ answer that simply said cloud saves won’t be stored “outside the duration” of a membership.
"If a Nintendo Switch Online membership expires, users won’t be able to access their Save Data Cloud backups,” a Nintendo rep told IGN. “However, Nintendo will allow users who resubscribe within 180 days to access their previous Save Data Cloud backups.”