Over the last few months, a pretty significant controversy has surrounded Nintendo Switch 2. Starting with this generation, Nintendo has introduced a new concept called Game-Key Cards, which operate similar to a standard cartridge, but do not contain the game’s actual data. Instead, these cards trigger a download of the game from the eShop. Nintendo published games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza have stuck to using standard cartridges, but the vast majority of third-party games have been released on Game-Key Cards. The system is only two months old, but this practice is causing a lot of frustration among many of Nintendo’s most passionate fans.
Videos by ComicBook.com
It seems Nintendo is aware that fans aren’t happy about Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards. The company has released a new survey asking users for feedback about physical video games. The survey is fairly short, but it does ask users about the main reasons they might prefer to buy a physical game over a digital one, and it even brings up how physical games can be resold after the fact (which is possible with Game-Key Cards, but not code in a box games). Readers interested in taking the survey for themselves can do so right here.
It’s impossible to say whether this survey will actually lead to any changes to the practice, but it does give fans a chance to share their thoughts. While most third-party games have stuck to using Game-Key Cards, there have been a handful of games that haven’t. CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 offered the entire game on cartridge alongside the DLC, leading to heavy praise. It’s impossible to say how much that played into the game’s success on Nintendo Switch 2, but Cyberpunk 2077 has been one of the best-selling third-party games on the platform. Some future games have already been confirmed to offer the full game on cartridge, including next month’s Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Last week’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed a lot of new games, many of which seem to be getting Game-Key Card releases. Across social media, many Switch 2 users have pledged to work around them. One such method is by purchasing true physical versions on the original Switch, where Game-Key Cards aren’t a thing. Since many Switch games are offering free or paid upgrades on Switch 2, those users can avoid supporting Game-Key Cards for titles like Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
We’ll have to wait and see if the controversy surrounding Game-Key Cards leads to a change in policy from Nintendo and its partners. The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of people out there that like collecting physical Switch games. A big audience of Switch game collectors has grown over the last eight years, and many of them aren’t happy about the idea of buying cartridges that don’t have any actual content. This is clearly a cause for concern at the moment, and it seems to have made Switch 2 users more careful when they decide which games they plan to buy.
How do you feel about Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards? Do you plan on taking the survey? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
Most Viewed
-
Logo courtesy of Marvel Studios -
Courtesy of Marvel
