A Game-Key Card for Switch 2 is just an empty cartridge that initiates a game download.
Nintendo
Nintendo has literally spent decades trying to build stronger relationships with important third-party game developers and publishers. But a new leak about Switch 2 game formats suggests the House of Mario could be revisiting some of the tactics that pushed away these developers in the first place.
If you’re a fan of physical media and are frustrated with the high number of Switch 2 launch games that are digital downloads disguised as physical releases, new information sourced from a hack of developer Arc System Works might give clarity to what’s happening.
Switch 2 Boxes Full Of Nothing
So far, there are 8 confirmed launch titles for Switch 2. More than half of them are either “Game-Key Cards” – empty cartridges that initiate a download of the game, or boxes that contain nothing but a download code, as is the case with Civilization VII and Split Fiction.
In reporting on the Arc System Works hack, Universo Nintendo writer @Necrolipe shared that Switch 2 game releases are allegedly limited to three formats:
- Digital game only (“DL”)
- 64GB cartridges with the full game
- Game-Key Cards (codenamed “POTION”)
The working theory, then, is that smaller-capacity cartridges won’t be made available – at least not to 3rd-party game developers. If you’re a developer trying to shave costs at every turn – especially with the current climate of game development – what do you do if your game is only 8GB or 24GB? You ship it only as a digital download to save money.
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It’s worth mentioning that with the original Switch console, games are commonly released on 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB cartridges, giving developers the option to save some money on production based on the size of their game.
(NAND flash storage is exponentially more affordable than it used to be, but pressing a game to optical disc is dirt cheap by comparison.)
While the 64GB-only limitation doesn’t directly point to malicious intent, Nintendo does have a long and well-documented history of control tactics like this. All the way back in the NES days, Nintendo was the sole producer of game cartridges for the console, which meant developers had to play ball and fork over whatever costs were associated.
Nintendo’s tight control over 3rd-party game makers has relaxed considerably since the GameCube era, but it still controls the supply chain. And that means game developers still have to pay whatever Nintendo is charging for manufacturing.
While none of this is confirmed yet, it still paints a disappointing outlook for the future of physical game releases on Switch 2.
