Shuhei Yoshida says Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards make sense for publishers

Nintendo’s next console is just around the corner, with the Nintendo Switch 2’s release date just over two weeks away, and the pre-release period has not been without controversy. Nintendo’s messaging around the console has been messy, to say the least, and there’s still some confusion about some aspects of the Switch 2 that we probably won’t have clarity on until we get the console in our hands. 

One aspect of the Switch 2 that’s been particularly divisive is the introduction of Game-Key Cards, a new type of game cartridge for the Switch 2 that contains none of the data for the game itself. Instead, inserting the Game-Key Card into your Switch 2 console will start a download for the full game. It’s essentially halfway between a physical release and a digital release — you can buy it, sell it, lend it, and trade it just like you would a physical release, but you have to be connected to the internet for a while before you can play it. 

Some have expressed concern that Game-Key Cards could result in poor preservation for some games, while others – especially indie developers and publishers – have praised the cards for being a low-cost retail option for smaller games. Former PlayStation Studios president Shuhei Yoshida thinks that a shift to downloads is an understandable one, and has some ideas on how to handle the preservation side of things, too. 

In a group interview at Gamescom Latam, Yoshida explained that the cost of using cartridge-based media is much higher than pressing discs, as used on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, so publishers opting to go for Game-Key Cards or codes in a box makes sense from a cost perspective. 

“In the case of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, they are using the cartridge with the semiconductor in it,” Yoshida explains. “The cost of goods for these products is much higher than pressing the disc, so I can see the reason the publishers would choose a code [or Game-Key Card] rather than physical media. When it comes to disc-based media, the cost is much much cheaper, so hopefully the production will continue on that side.”  

While many have brought up concerns of preservation with these approaches, Yoshida also points out that, eventually, the hardware to play these games will stop working, so even if every game was available entirely on a cartridge, more needed to be done to keep games playable in the long term. His solution? More remakes and remasters. 

“Hardware will eventually die, and the games are almost always made for specific hardware platforms,” Yoshida tells us. “In terms of preservation, I think the best way is to keep doing remasters and remakes of these games, otherwise there will be no hardware to play these games on. PC is an exception, because Microsoft is doing a good job of keeping compatibility [in Windows] so that will be fine, but in terms of consoles or online-based games, there’s always a time where the game will no longer be playable. So it’s up to the publisher to remake or remaster for future hardware so that new players can experience these games.” 

Disclosure: Oliver Brandt attended Gamescom Latam as a guest of Abragames, with flights and accommodation provided by the organization.