Earlier this month we looked and the ins and outs of Game Key Cards for the Switch 2. In basic terms for those who skipped that one, you can think of these as a physical Switch 2 cartridge that needs a day one patch to be able to run the game. The catch? That day one patch is the game.

Nintendo of America’s Doug Bowser has said during interviews that these new cartridges will give third party publishers a means of entering the retail space when launching titles larger than the 64GB maximum, but with the notably small Bravely Default remaster being a physical Key Card release, some eyebrows were raised. Since then we’ve had confirmation of a number of notable titles being Game Key Cards, with Japanese pre-orders hitting home that this may just be the new reality.

At the time of writing, every physical third party Switch 2 game outside of Cyberpunk 2077 that is not a “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition” is a Game Key Card in Japan. This list of games includes the likes of new titles to the system in Daemon X Machina and Yakuza 0, but also some titles that have already seen physical Switch releases like Nobunaga’s Ambition Awakening and Sonic X Shadow Generations. It has also been confirmed that Spike Chunsoft’s No Sleep for Kaname Date will be a Game Key Card release in both the US and EU.

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Looking at the pre-orders that are currently available in other regions, Daemon X Machina does appear to be a full release in the US. As we move closer to launch and more pre-orders go live, the picture should be made clearer.

Are you planning to pick up a Switch 2 at launch? Would a Game Key Card put you off buying physically? Let us know your thoughts below.

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[Quore]

If this goes right as Nintendo is planning, this will mark another shot to the death of physical games...

 

[OilFreak]

What a stupid concept for a portable system that may not always be connected to the internet

 

[Scarlet]

What a stupid concept for a portable system that may not always be connected to the internet

You don't need to always be connected to the internet to play them, but the initial download will still be a pain for a lot of people.

 

[Quore]

By the way, i still can't believe a Puyo Puyo Tetris game is gonna be more then 64gb needing to be a digital key game

 

[Xzi]

That's crazy, I thought it would only be for half of third-party releases at most. Guess what I've heard is true: Nintendo is forcing publishers to pay for a 64GB cart or just use a game key card instead. Will probably discourage some from buying third-party games on Switch 2.

 

[Wolfy]

I'll say it again, companies will cheap out if they can so they don't have to pay for better/larger SD cards when they can just have consumers just download the game. Which has been happening for awhile but I do hope a good number of games( other than what's already been revealed ) will be the normal non-game key version.

 

[Xzi]

I'll say it again, companies will cheap out if they can so they don't have to pay for better/larger SD cards when they can just have consumers just download the game. Which has been happening for awhile but I do hope a good number of games( other than what's already been revealed ) will be the normal non-game key version.

I think the only third-party launch game that isn't on a game key card is Cyberpunk 2077.

 

[Scarlet]

I think the only third-party launch game that isn't on a game key card is Cyberpunk 2077.

It's worth reiterating that this may be a Japan-exclusive issue at this scale. It's already confirmed that Daemon X Machina is a full physical release in the US. Time will tell though.

 

[Xzi]

It's worth reiterating that this may be a Japan-exclusive issue at this scale. It's already confirmed that Daemon X Machina is a full physical release in the US. Time will tell though.

Yeah guess I'm jumping the gun some, cover art on Best Buy's site at least only has a few games with the white banner.

 

[CeeDee]

It's important to note that this is a trend with third party publishers. All of Nintendo's announced titles are on cart- probably one of the reasons they're pricier than before- so this seems to be an instance of third parties taking the cheaper route. Basically an extension of practices already common on the Switch 1, ie 'download code in box' releases and physical copies that required partial downloads.

Personally I can't see this as any nebulous plan to kill physical media. Hell, Nintendo's the only console manufacturer left that includes physical media readers on all of their systems.

 

[Deleted member 709839]

So apparently the public will eat this anyway.

While bigN shares plummeted after the price reveal (-14%) they are back on their feet at 18.5$.

The suits handled it very well apparently, gamers need their fix, whatever the price or consequences for their hobby.

 

[Tofu_mommy]

If I get to choose between a game key card and just buying a game off eShop, I'll go with the latter every time. Keep in mind, I bought games digitally and then physically when they had those releases later on in Switch 1 days.

 

[neotank19]

So apparently the public will eat this anyway.

While bigN shares plummeted after the price reveal (-14%) they are back on their feet at 18.5$.

The suits handled it very well apparently, gamers need their fix, whatever the price or consequences for their hobby.

I refuse. I might stand alone, But I will not play the game of digital media.

 

[JuanMena]

Holy fing tish... Looks like Doug Bowser and the new generation of "developers" at Nintendo are doing exactly what they weren't supposed to...

 

[Foxi4]

It’s eWaste. Publishers already have an avenue to sell digital copies as physical goods, it’s called code-in-box.

 

[fout21]

 

[A-Hacked-Soul]

This is prob their way to beat leakers. Makes sense when some of their largest releases on the switch got leaked way in advance.

 

[ihaveahax]

It’s eWaste. Publishers already have an avenue to sell digital copies as physical goods, it’s called code-in-box.

The biggest difference is this still retains the other features of physical games, reselling and trading. You can't do these with a redeemable code.

 

[Tofu_mommy]

The biggest difference is this still retains the other features of physical games, reselling and trading. You can't do these with a redeemable code.

Not once the servers go down. It's just a less convenient game code tome.