One of the stranger details that came out of last weeka€™s big Nintendo Switch 2 event was the existence of game-key cards. They wona€™t be used for all releases, but essentially theya€™re Switch 2 cartridges that dona€™t actually contain a game, but instead feature a a€oekeya€ thata€™s used for a€oedownloading the full game to your system via the internet.a€
As video games continue to shift away from physical releases, game-key cards understandably created some confusion among fans. I had the chance to ask Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser why they exist, and the answer was pretty simple: retail stores.
a€oeIn essence, ita€™s a digital game on a card,a€ he said. a€oeWhat ita€™s beneficial for is for our publishing partners to be able to bring games to market that may be of a significant size, and therefore they may need too large a cartridge for that game. It allows them to sell those physical games at retail.a€
That makes a certain amount of sense, as retail stores are still a notable market for Nintendo in particular. Bowser also noted that, in an attempt to make the distinction between the Switch 2 and its predecessor more clear, the company is a€oeworking with our r …
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