Nintendo has revealed that third-party publishers were consulted regarding ideas for Switch 2 Game-Key Cards. Game-Key Cards are one of the most controversial aspects of the recent Nintendo Switch 2, but this report can give gamers more insight into why they are being used.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was released on June 5, and it has been a big hit since then, selling over 3.5 million units globally in just four days. However, the console’s release was not without its share of controversies, and physical versions of games being sold as Game-Key Cards frustrated many gamers. These cards do not contain the actual game, being instead simply a key that allows the owner to activate them, so the game still needs to be downloaded before it can be played.
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Now, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa talked about Game-Key Cards at Nintendo’s annual shareholders meeting, which happened on June 27 (spotted by Nintendo Soup). During the meeting, a shareholder called Game-Key Cards a “half-baked measure,” and asked why so many third-party publishers use them, and whether this impacted sales. Furukawa explained how Game-Key Cards work and said that the large file sizes of Nintendo Switch 2 games brought the creation of this measure. Also, Game-Key Cards were conceived as “an option” for publishers to bring their games to retail, and third-party publishers were consulted with ideas for selling games in this format.
Nintendo Speaks About Controversial Switch 2 Game-Key Cards
Furukawa did not respond, however, to whether the Game-Key Cards somehow impacted sales. Recent reports have shown that the majority of titles selling on the Switch 2 are first-party games, despite most of the offerings being third-party titles.
Game-Key Cards have been such a controversial topic that Nintendo recently addressed their continued usage. According to Nintendo of America’s president, Doug Bowser, Game-Key Cards were used to make Switch 2 attractive to third-party game publishers, as the largest cartridge capacity of the Nintendo Switch is 64GB. These cards help to keep production costs low and give more freedom to the developers. However, they are generally not very well received by gamers.
Fortunately, Nintendo has no plans of using Game-Key Cards for its first-party titles. While it’s not entirely clear if this will also apply to games published by Nintendo, but developed by other companies, it’s at least reassuring for fans that some of the physical games they purchase for the Switch 2 will actually contain the game in full.
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Original Release Date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- Operating System
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Proprietary
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR Support
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Yes