One of the stranger details that came out of last week’s big Nintendo Switch 2 event was the existence of game-key cards. They won’t be used for all releases, but essentially they’re Switch 2 cartridges that don’t actually contain a game, but instead feature a “key” that’s used for “downloading the full game to your system via the internet.”
As video games continue to shift away from physical releases, game-key cards understandably created some confusion among fans. I had the chance to ask Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser why they exist, and the answer was pretty simple: retail stores.
“In essence, it’s a digital game on a card,” he said. “What it’s beneficial for is for our publishing partners to be able to bring games to market that may be of a significant size, and therefore they may need too large a cartridge for that game. It allows them to sell those physical games at retail.”
That makes a certain amount of sense, as retail stores are still a notable market for Nintendo in particular. Bowser also noted that, in an attempt to make the distinction between the Switch 2 and its predecessor more clear, the company is “working with our retailers in the US” to create “separate sections for Nintendo Switch 2, so there will be that point of delineation at retail.” (Switch 2 cases also feature a different design with a lot of red on them.)
Still, the existence of game-key cards will likely be a disappointment for those who rely on physical games for either collecting or preservation purposes — even if it means more large-scale games on the Switch.