Nintendo has revealed that third -party publishers were consulted about ideas for Switch 2 Game-key card. Game-key cards are one of the most controversial aspects of the latest Nintendo Switch 2, but this report can give players more insight into why they are used.
Nintendo Switch 2 was released on June 5, and it has been a big hit since then and sold over 3.5 million units globally in just four days. However, the release of the console was not without its share of controversy, and physical versions of games sold as a game-key card frustrated many players. These cards do not contain the actual game, instead is simply a key that allows the owner to activate them, so the game must still be downloaded before it can be played.
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Switch 2 seems to transfer unfortunate switch 1 limitation
Although Nintendo Switch 2 has many improvements compared to its predecessor, there is a returning Switch 1 function that is largely the same.
Now Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukaw talked about gaming key cards at Nintendo's annual shareholder meeting, which happened on June 27 (discovered by Nintendo Soup). During the meeting, a shareholder called Game-key card for a “semi-baked measure” and asked why so many third-party publishers use them and whether this affected sales. Furukawa explained how gaming key cards work and said that the large file sizes for Nintendo Switch 2 games brought this action. Game-key cards were also designed as “an alternative” for publishers to bring their games to retail, and third-party publishers were consulted with ideas to sell games in this format.
Nintendo talks about controversial Switch 2-Key cards
However, Furukawa did not answer whether the game key cards in any way affected sales. The latest reports have shown that the majority of titles sold on Switch 2 are first party games, even though most offers are third -party titles.
Game-key cards have been such a controversial topic that Nintendo recently treated their continued use. According to the Nintendo of America's president, Doug Bowser, game button cards were used to make Switch 2 attractive for third -party game publishers, as Nintendo Switch's largest patron is 64 GB. These cards help to keep production costs low and give more freedom to the developers. But they are generally not very well received by players.
Fortunately, Nintendo has no plans to use Game Key cards for its first party titles. Although it is not entirely clear whether this will also apply to games published by Nintendo, but developed by other companies, it is at least soothing for fans that some of the physical games they buy for Switch 2 will actually contain the game in its entirety.
- Stamp
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Nintendo
- Original release date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$ 449.99
- Operating system
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Ownership
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR support
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Yes
