- A Nintendo spokesperson confirmed the company won’t abandon physical media.
- The publisher knows fans love physical games and that demand remains strong.
- It will remain agnostic and fully explore Switch 2’s capabilities with physical releases.
Despite backlash, gaming is fully turning towards digital releases as the industry moves away from discs. PlayStation recently came under fire after announcing it will end disc production of first-party titles starting in 2028, and other publishers are expected to follow suit.
Nintendo has continued to pump out physical releases after moving into the Switch 2 generation amidst all the industry drama. To the relief of most gamers, the company has now confirmed its stance that it has no plans to ditch physical media.
Why it matters: Nintendo has finally taken a formal stance against abandoning physical media after the recent physical vs. digital media controversy began some months ago. The statement confirms it will continue to stand with gamers as other companies go fully digital.
Speaking in an interview with Coelho, Nintendo Latin America general manager Bill Van Zyll says Nintendo has historically been agnostic when it comes to choosing digital or physical media.
The company simply goes with what consumers prefer, and that preference is taken into account quite heavily. He elaborates that the same approach will continue through the Switch 2 generation.
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.
– VP and general manager for Nintendo In Latin America, Bill van Zyll.
Switch 2 is also quite early into its lifespan, and physical releases are a strong part of realizing its capabilities. Therefore, abandoning physical releases would also make no sense from a business standpoint when they remain incredibly popular for the publisher.
Physical games on Switch 2 come in full cartridges and the less-popular game-key cards. The former comes with entire games, while the latter contains a license that proves you own the game. You still need to download games from Nintendo’s servers using key cards.
Regardless, even game-key cards remain incredibly popular worldwide.
Do you think Nintendo will stick to its formal stance as more and more publishers skip physical releases? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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