Despite the video game industry moving more towards a digital-only future all the time, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 have been a haven for developers and gamers to have physical version of the latest games. With the explosion of Steam’s popularity, PlayStation’s plans to abandon the production of new physical games from January 2028 and XBOX’s seemingly inevitable move to all-digital following the Disc to Digital programme rollout, the outlook is bleak for the future of games on store shelves.
Now, in a new interview with Brazilian YouTuber, Coelho no Japão, Nintendo VP for Latin America, Bill van Zyll said that the platform has a history of being agnostic – meaning offering players the choice of both physical and digital versions of Switch / Switch 2 games – and that they aim to continue that approach.
He said: “We go off what the consumer prefers, and take that into account very heavily. We also have a platform that was just launched. We’re barely just over a year into NS2. It’s got both digital and physical – that capability. There’s no plans to ditch physical. We know how much the fans like it as well, so our position has been to be agnostic.”
It’s a promising public declaration of support for physical. Nintendo themselves have moved, to a degree, away from true physical games. With their divisive Game-Key Cards which are in essence a download / access token for a digital version of a game. Understanding the backlash, the company even moved to poll their Japanese audience on them.
As publishers themselves move away from physical discs / cartridges, notably the biggest release of all time, Grand Theft Auto VI for PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X receiving only a code in a box ‘physical’ version, the days for physical games are indeed numbered. But, as someone who is a big fan of physical games – including Switch titles – these are very positive words to hear. Though, how long the plan remains ‘the plan’ for, will likely depend on market factors including customer habits, competitor choices and very importantly, cost. Nintendo are no strangers to challenges related to the cost of producing cartridges, it was a contributing factor to the N64 falling massively behind the original PlayStation’s lifetime sales.
The good news is, we’re not about to enter ‘No cartridge, no buy’ territory. Yet.
Are you a physical or digital game purchaser? If you are a physical gamer, what platforms do you prefer to buy games for? Let us know in the comments below or join the friendly and active Gamer Social Club Discord to chat about all your favourite games.
