Watch: Nintendo Say It's Unlikely That Physical Games Will Ever "100 Percent Go Away"

Skip to main content

GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love

Sign in

View Profile
Sign out

Search

Search GamesRadar+

Games
- Game Insights
- Genres
- Platforms
- Franchises
Entertainment
Hardware
- Insights
- Computing
- Peripherals
- Accessories & Tech
Deals
Video

home
Games
Entertainment
Hardware
Deals
Video

Gaming Magazines

Why subscribe?

Subscribe from just £3
Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
Try a single issue or save on a subscription
Issues delivered straight to your door or device

From$12

Subscribe now

Trending

Dying Light: The Beast
Borderlands 4 review
Battlefield 6
New Games for 2025

Don't miss these

Games Asked about concerns Switch 2 game-key cards could turn off players and third-party publishers, Nintendo president says the controversial cards were introduced since file sizes have gone up

Games Nintendo gives Switch 2 users a platform for their game-key card complaints with a survey about physical and digital games, and yes, you can say you "definitely would not buy" them

Photo by Rosalie Newcombe of a close-up of the Game-Key Card of No Sleep For Kaname Date sitting on its physical Switch 2 game box.

Nintendo Switch 2 The Switch 2's controversial game-key cards prove to be a preservation nightmare as Japan's national library refuses to use them

Donkey Kong shouts in shock in Donkey Kong Bananza

Hardware Former Nintendo marketing lead says the "one time" she "saw genuine fear from the executives" at the company was "when we saw the rise of mobile games"

Super Mario "This is another attack on physical media": Watchdog group finds that Super Mario Bros Wonder is suddenly unplayable on Switch 2 without an online update

Cyberpunk CD Projekt said ditching game-key cards for Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 was "the right thing to do," and it's apparently paid off because 75% of that version's sales were physical

Photo by Rosalie Newcombe of the STEALTH Premium Travel Case for the Switch 2, with OG Switch games stored inside.

Games You should probably plug in your Switch and 3DS games every 5 to 10 years to keep them from breaking, preservation activists say

FPS Games Randy Pitchford said Borderlands 4 on Switch 2 would require a download, but it's worse than that – it's a game-key card

Mario Kart World screenshot featuring Birdo

Super Mario "Games are amazingly affordable": Former PlayStation boss defends $80 prices because stuff like Mario Kart provides "hours and hours and hours with just one purchase"

Jet The Hawk, Shadow The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog, Knuckles The Echidna, Eggman, and Tails The Fox race towards us on a variety of vehicles in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, emerging from ring portals depicting various levels from Sonic history

Sonic the Hedgehog Sega hands physical media a win amid Nintendo's push toward digital with Switch 2 game-key cards — Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is confirmed to have "the full base game on a 64GB cartridge"

Open World Games Star Wars Outlaws is a controversial Switch 2 game-key card release, but one Ubisoft dev says that's because the standard cartridges "simply didn't give the performance we needed"

Screenshot of Mario dragon Bowser pointing in realization

Games Former PlayStation boss says "no one is in touch with their fan base more than Nintendo" and even Sony "was never this in touch" with what players wanted

Image of some Nintendo Switch games on top of a pink GamesRadar background.

Hardware Sorry Donkey Kong Bananza, these Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals are gonna keep me busy this month

Switch 2 launch games: a close-up of Mario and Luigi racing each other during Mario Kart World.

Super Mario Nintendo combats big budgets with games that only need "shorter development periods" alongside $80 Switch 2 behemoths like Mario Kart World

A large, muscly bloke eating noodles at a bar while two people point pistols at him from behind in Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk As Cyberpunk 2077 tops Switch 2 sales charts, one analyst says divisive game-key cards "aren’t a major issue" for most gamers and a Baldur's Gate 3 dev agrees

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Nintendo Say It's Unlikely That Physical Games Will Ever "100 Percent Go Away"

As fans reject Switch 2 game-key cards, former Nintendo marketing leads say it's unlikely that physical games will ever "100% go away," because "they realize the importance of that"

Previews

Reviews

Nintendo Switch 2

News

Trailers

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

About Us
Contact Future's experts
Terms and conditions
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Advertise with us
Review guidelines
Write for us
Accessibility Statement
Careers

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...

Nintendo Say It's Unlikely That Physical Games Will Ever "100 Percent Go Away"

Previews

We’ve played Claws of Awaji and it’s an ambitious yet familiar Assassin's Creed Shadows expansion

007 First Light was one of our highlights of Gamescom 2025!

Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival feels like the game your parents warned you about growing up!

We played Where Winds Meet at Gamescom!

We played Dawn of War 4 and it's a stunning RTS game

We played Onimusha: Way of the Sword at Gamescom!

We played Deadpool VR at Gamescom!

We played Invincible VS at Gamescom!

We've played Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and it's the most SURPRISING racer of 2025

We played Kirby Air Riders and it's PERFECT if you've had enough Mario Kart

We've played Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its AWESOME new combat may be the way forward for the series

The Outer Worlds 2 is the next hit for true RPG sickos

We've played Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and it's the most SURPRISING racer of 2025

We played Dawn of War 4 and it's a stunning RTS game

We've played Hollow Knight Silksong and it's real, AMAZING, and a GOTY contender

We played Resident Evil Requiem and got annoyed at the protagonist. But that’s ENTIRELY the point

We've played Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and it's DEFINITELY worth the wait

After playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it could be the adventure Arceus should have been

We've played Ninja Gaiden 4 and it pushed us to the LIMIT

PowerWash Simulator 2 has Witcher senses to help you find dirt

We’ve played Silent Hill f and it’s made us excited for the series’ future | Silent Hill f preview

We’ve played Cronos: The New Dawn and it’s Silent Hill 2 meets Dead Space

We played Dying Light: The Beast and it’s a nailbiting survival horror

The 25 HOTTEST upcoming games right now

Has the Switch 2 found its Super Mario Odyssey? | Donkey Kong Bananza preview

We've played Borderlands 4 | hands-on preview

Reviews

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review | Still one of our favorite games of all time

What you NEED to know before playing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

A genuine must-play for Switch 2 owners | Donkey Kong Bananza Review

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review | More Metal Gear Solid than ever (for better and worse)

Blades of Fire review | Dares to make the case for weapon degradation being good

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review | Goretastic prequel hindered by new ideas

Expedition 33 Review | THRILLING turn-based RPG with Sekiro parries

Assassin's Creed Shadows review | What you Need to Know

The Need to Know: Monster Hunter Wilds review

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review | An utterly absorbing realization of medieval life

Dynasty Warriors: Origins review | Stripped back with a focus on visceral yet tactical clashes

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: the franchise's best adventure since The Last Crusade

The 25 best games of 2024

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review | The best but most broken game of 2024

Lego Horizon Adventures review | This unlikely build fits together perfectly

Great God Grove Review | Words are your weapon

Nintendo Switch 2

We've played Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its AWESOME new combat may be the way forward for the series

We played Kirby Air Riders and it's PERFECT if you've had enough Mario Kart

Donkey Kong Bananza is an adventure that rivals Mario’s best

A genuine must-play for Switch 2 owners | Donkey Kong Bananza Review

Nintendo Switch 2's first month breakdown

Has the Switch 2 found its Super Mario Odyssey? | Donkey Kong Bananza preview

Breath Of The Wild Is Still The Superior Zelda Game

There's a new Splatoon game coming called Splatoon Raiders

The Optimal Way To Unlock Every Vehicle In Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World Is "Completely Broken"

Nintendo Say It's Unlikely That Physical Games Will Ever "100 Percent Go Away"

Moo Moo Cow Is The Best New Mario Kart World Character

7 Best Switch 2 Games So Far

Nintendo Switch 2 worth it? | Full console review

Answering Your Switch 2 Questions

Everything we know about the Duskbloods | FromSoftware's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond preview | This monumental Switch 2 release has a LOT to live up to

Donkey Kong Bananza preview | DK’s return to the third dimension is looking worth the wait

This is what the Switch 2 eShop needs to be like

Nintendo's history of console gimmicks | Switch On Episode 9

News

GTA 6 delay prompted Ghost of Yōtei devs to party like rockstars

No Man’s Sky is unstoppable right now

Oblivion Remastered plummets to “Mixed” reviews on Steam

Fan-led Oblivion remake Skyblivion is finally close to launch

Silksong is way harder than Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight Silksong breaks 535k concurrents on Steam

There's a Call of Duty movie coming!

Kojima to give updates on next projects at special event

Helldivers 2 players fume over performance issues

Attention developers, stop trying to make AAA games for everyone

Skyrim player marries a dragon

Battlefield 6 won't have ray-tracing at launch or anytime soon

Hollow Knight: Silksong price and release time revealed