Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, has acknowledged the growing trend of larger Nintendo Switch games using Game-Key Cards instead of traditional physical cartridges. In an interview with GamesRadar, he explained that physical game releases are becoming increasingly rare in the gaming industry, making this shift almost unavoidable.
Hamaguchi believes this is part of a bigger shift that’s happening in the gaming industry. He acknowledges the frustration with Game-Key Cards and understands why people dislike the system. He explained that Nintendo fans particularly value physical copies, especially as platforms like Xbox, PlayStation, and PC move increasingly towards digital-only releases.
Later in the interview, Hamaguchi discussed the benefits of Game-Key Cards. He explained they let companies release physical copies of their games without dealing with potential issues caused by slower storage methods. While acknowledging the growing trend towards digital games, he understands why some people dislike this approach. However, from a developer’s point of view, he believes Game-Key Cards could create opportunities to release games on the next Nintendo Switch console.
Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws was a recent high-profile game released for the Switch 2 using Game-Key Cards instead of traditional cartridges. This was because the open-world game needed faster data loading speeds than the standard Switch 2 cartridge could provide.
Big games on the new Switch 2 are expected to use special Game-Key Cards instead of traditional cartridges because the console has limited storage and processing speed. This has upset many fans who prefer physical copies of games. Even industry experts, like the CEO of Nightdive Studios—a company known for bringing older games to new platforms—and professor James Newman, co-founder of the Videogame Heritage Society, have expressed concern, calling the situation “disheartening” and a setback for preserving video games for the future.
CEO Stephen Kick expressed disappointment with Nintendo’s approach, saying it was disheartening to see a company with such a rich history not prioritize preserving its older games. He had hoped for more commitment to preservation from a company of Nintendo’s size and legacy.
According to Newman, even if a game cartridge initially includes game data, frequent updates and expansions downloaded after release mean the cartridge often just serves as a key to access the main game, which exists as digital content.
Players will soon be able to experience the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is launching on January 22nd, and owners of the new Nintendo console will need 90 GB of free storage space to play it.
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2025-10-27 16:41