As the Nintendo Switch 2 game key card controversy continues, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has doubled down on his own feelings on the matter. Since it was confirmed by Nintendo in April that Switch 2 game cartridges would act as a kind of physical “token” to access the digital download of its games, fans, collectors, game curators and the media have expressed concerns about the long-term ownership of games and the increasingly transparent boundary between physical and digital media. Now, the one Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth the director has once again set fire with his own words.
In a recent interview with Wccftech, Hamaguchi openly supported the idea of Switch 2 cartridges containing only the license key needed to download a game. This isn't the first time the director has defended the controversial game keycards, but his support for them is even more relevant now with the first post in Final Fantasy 7 Remake the trilogy heading to Nintendo Switch 2 in January.
FF7 Rebirth's Naoki Hamaguchi Thinks Switch 2 Game-Key Card Is A 'Really Awesome Idea'
As someone on the inside of game development, unlike those reviewing the Switch 2's game key card from the outside looking in, Hamaguchi has a pragmatic perspective on the issue that most gamers may never see. This is exactly what came out when he spoke to Wccftech at this year's Tokyo Game Show about the Switch 2 edition of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
When asked if he sees Nintendo eventually increasing the speed of Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges to accommodate large games such as Final Fantasy 7 RebirthHamaguchi chalked it up to the hardware of the console itself. After that, he added emphatic support for the game key card concept by saying, “I feel that the game key card format that Nintendo created for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a really great new idea that they had offered us.”
Much of his support for the idea, as Wccftech's aforementioned question suggests, is rooted in an opinion he expressed during another interview with JP Games in September. According to Hamaguchi, “From a developer's perspective, [game-key cards] allow us to bring more advanced experiences to Switch players,” thanks to their “semi-download” nature and the smoother loading that results. That said, he also acknowledged the concerns many fans have about game key cards, noting “there are good reasons and debates to be had there.”
- Released
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February 29, 2024
- ESRB
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T for teens due to blood, language, mild suggestive themes, use of alcohol and tobacco, violence
