We Can’t Let Nintendo Forget Its Biggest Switch 2 Sin

by

Over the past few years, Nintendo has been criticized for several questionable business practices. These include shutting down fan-created content, restricting music access to paid apps, releasing hardware that requires a subscription to function, aggressively pursuing legal action against rivals, and patenting simple game ideas. They’ve also been accused of artificially limiting product availability to increase sales. While it’s understandable that Nintendo, like any company, aims to maximize profits, some of these choices could alienate the very customers who support them.

As a Nintendo fan, I’m really frustrated with one decision about the upcoming Switch 2. It feels incredibly anti-consumer and honestly, doesn’t even make good business sense. I’m talking about these Game Key Cards they’re introducing – it’s a truly awful idea and a lot of us are turning against the new console because of it. While the initial outrage has died down a bit, we can’t just let Nintendo ignore this. We need to keep speaking up, because this is one mistake they shouldn’t be allowed to brush aside.

Nintendo Switch 2 Game Key Cards Make No Sense

Okay, so I’ve been hearing about these Nintendo Switch 2 Game Key Cards, and honestly, they’re kind of a letdown. The idea was cool – letting developers release bigger games on physical cards for collectors like me. But it doesn’t actually work like that. Basically, these cards aren’t full games; they’re just keys to download the game from the eShop. So you still need to download a massive file – often over 64GB! – and you have to be online to do it. It feels like the worst of both worlds: you’re stuck carrying around a physical card, but you’re still basically playing a digital game. Plus, you can’t even play offline right away. It’s a hassle with none of the benefits, and honestly, I don’t see how anyone benefits from this system. It’s just… disappointing.

While not Nintendo’s most problematic business decision, limiting physical game access is particularly harmful given that over half of their game sales are still physical copies. This figure is likely even higher if you exclude downloadable content and expansions, which are included in their reported digital sales of 50.4%. Despite being a flawed approach, it’s understandable why Nintendo would do this – they have a large base of physical game collectors and the limitations of cartridges when it comes to storing the large file sizes of today’s games. Game Key Cards offer a solution to this problem.

Game Key Cards offer an easy, low-effort way for developers to release their games on the Nintendo Switch 2. Instead of fully optimizing their games to fit on the console’s cartridges – like CD Projekt Red did with Cyberpunk 2077 – they can simply include a code on a card that directs players to download the game. This lets them benefit from physical sales without doing any extra work. This creates a tricky situation: allowing developers freedom theoretically leads to better games, as they aren’t limited by file size. However, it also means people who prefer owning physical copies get a less satisfying product. It seems the industry prioritizes convenience over true ownership, but it’s unclear if this approach will be sustainable in the long run.

Game Key Cards May Not Be Selling Well

Initially, third-party games didn’t perform well on the Nintendo Switch 2. Many believed this was because most of these games were already available on other consoles, making their Switch 2 release feel unnecessary. However, Cyberpunk 2077 proved to be a surprising success. While several factors likely contributed to this, a key reason was that Cyberpunk 2077 was released as a traditional physical cartridge, including the game and all downloadable content, rather than a digital-only Game Key Card.

Many third-party games didn’t sell well because they used Game Key Cards. Gamers clearly dislike this system, and developers are now highlighting the fact that their games come with a real cartridge. This suggests people are rejecting the mix of physical and digital formats, as it doesn’t appeal to either those who prefer buying games digitally or those who like collecting physical copies. Fortunately, Nintendo recently asked fans for their opinion on Game Key Cards, possibly to see if they should stop using them.

It doesn’t seem like Game Key Cards are going away anytime soon. Despite previously impacting third-party sales, the physical copies of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade quickly sold out in both the US and Japan, even though it was released as a Game Key Card. Furthermore, Nintendo announced Pokémon Pokopia will also be a Game Key Card release, which goes against a previous statement from Doug Bowser, former President of Nintendo of America, that Nintendo wouldn’t use them for its own games. This shows there’s definitely demand for Game Key Cards, and Nintendo is actively trying to establish them as a standard physical option.

Nintendo Cannot Keep Using Game Key Cards

Nintendo needs to stop relying on Game Key Cards instead of full physical game releases. While physical games are becoming less popular overall – Xbox has largely stopped making them, and PlayStation sees them as a smaller market – Nintendo still has a strong base of customers who prefer them. Importantly, physical copies remain the best way for gamers to truly own their games and ensure they can still play them even if they’re removed from digital stores.

When Nintendo stopped selling digital games on its older console, many games that were only available digitally became lost to new players. If you already owned them, you can still play them, but anyone discovering those games now, or who missed that console generation, can’t. I don’t think every game needs a physical copy – that’s unrealistic. But while it makes sense that smaller, digital-only games might not get one, bigger games from major publishers should still be available as physical copies.

Simple fixes would be for Nintendo to bring back the two-cartridge system they used to have, or to make larger cartridges. This would give third-party developers more space for their games. However, the release of Pokopia – a game small enough to fit on a standard cartridge – as a Game Key Card suggests that storage space isn’t the only reason Nintendo is using them. Game Key Cards are cheaper and easier to manufacture, and if Nintendo thinks they can get away with using them, they will. We need to stop them from continuing this practice, because historically, Nintendo tends to choose the least expensive – and often most consumer-unfriendly – option, and they’ll likely switch to Game Key Cards entirely if we allow it.

What are your thoughts on Game Key Cards? Share your opinion in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/nintendo-games-franchises-worst/embed/#

Read More

2026-02-23 02:14