With Cyberpunk 2077, developer CD Projekt Red is one of very few third-party studios offering a proper, physical game cartridge on Nintendo Switch 2. As most other third-parties instead opt for the new game-key card format – which contain no game data on the physical cart – CDPR says that's not what Nintendo players want.
Asked if CD Projekt Red could've gotten away with just launching Cyberpunk 2077 on a game-key card, business development VP Jan Rosner tells The Game Business that "it’s not a matter of getting away with something. Nintendo at physical retail is still strong, and retail is, in general, not going anywhere. I don't think we'll soon experience a reality where we're just having all games digital."
Rosner says that proper physical game releases are "especially important for the Nintendo audience. We maybe could have got away with it, but is there a point? The right thing to do was to have it out on the cartridge with a plug and play experience."
While game sales have been sliding towards digital over the years, physical games still make up a substantial portion of sales.
A report from GamesIndustry.biz in 2024 suggested that, across the first 40 weeks of the year, around 25% of all new games were sold through traditional retail in Europe. But that figure includes both the digital-only Steam and the digital-focused Xbox platforms. On Switch, a whopping 65% of third-party games were still sold through physical retail.
"Do not underestimate the physical edition," Rosner warns other studios. "It's not going anywhere and Nintendo players are very appreciative of physical editions that are done right."
Clearly, Rosner isn't the only industry figure who feels that way. Former Assassin's Creed and Far Cry lead Alex Hutchinson feels that game-key cards are "losing some of what made the business special," and Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick thinks they're "disheartening."
Popular rumor has suggested that Nintendo is offering only the option of game-key cards or massive 64GB cartridges to publishers. While that specific detail is technically unconfirmed, it's certainly cheaper for studios to focus on lower-cost game-key cards over proper cartridges. Whether players are willing to support that cost-cutting measure remains to be seen.
Check out our guide to upcoming Switch 2 games.
