Don't Worry, Nintendo Has "No Plans" To Use Its Controversial Game-Key Cards For First-Party Physical Releases

Summary

• One of the most controversial aspects of the Nintendo Switch 2 is its use of Game-Key cards.
• These cards are basically just download codes on a cartridge, and there are tons of third-party games using them.
• It seems that first-party Nintendo games thankfully won't be following that trend, though.

According to a Nintendo representative, there are currently "no plans" to use Game-Key cards for first-party Nintendo Switch 2 games, suggesting it's just a third-party option.

Since it was revealed a few months ago, the Nintendo Switch 2 has faced a number of big controversies and issues from consumers. The high price of games is a big one, but another criticism that's been levied against Nintendo plenty over the past few months is the confusing and controversial Game-Key cards.

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If you don't remember, Game-Key cards are essentially access cards similar to codes in a box that let you download a game instead of it being stored on the cartridge itself. This is being seen as a massive blow to physical collectors and has generally been received very poorly, although it's only looked like third-party games are using them so far.

Nintendo's First-Party Switch 2 Games Won't Use Game-Key Cards

Donkey Kong Bananza And Mario Kart World Aren't Anomalies

Considering the fact that we only know about a few first-party Nintendo Switch 2 games right now, it's been hard to gauge whether Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World are bucking the trend for Game-Key cards or proving that Nintendo games won't be using them. Thank god, because it seems like it's actually the latter.

A recent leak also suggested that Nintendo is only offering developers the choice of an expensive 64 GB cartridge or a Game-Key card, which explains why we're seeing them used so much.

Nintendo Life recently reported that it reached out to Nintendo to see whether its first-party games would be using Game-Key cards. In response, a Nintendo UK representative replied and confirmed that there are currently "no plans" to use this method for Nintendo-developed games.

This suggests that upcoming titles like Kirby Air Riders and any other first-party Nintendo Switch 2 games will have a proper physical release instead of being stuck to Game-Key cards. Of course, this could eventually change if the games that Nintendo makes for the system end up exceeding 64 GB, but that seems unlikely considering how good the company has gotten at having smaller file sizes.

It's worth noting that representative aren't always correct and that plans can change, but for now, it seems that Game-Key cards are only going to be a problem for third-party releases. That's also not concrete, though, as Cyberpunk 2077 has proven that it can be done - we'll just have to see how developers respond to the format in the future.

Nintendo Switch 2

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