Stephen Kick, the CEO of Nightdive Studios, recently shared his opinion on the Nintendo Switch 2’s controversial game-key card system (not to be confused with the console's virtual game card system). He is one of several prominent voices in the games industry who have gone public with their concerns about the Nintendo Switch 2’s attitude towards physical media and what it means for the future of game preservation.
During the first Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo explained a new kind of proprietary game cartridge called a game-key card. These physical cards will appear on store shelves for some games but, unlike the cartridges used for the original Switch, game-key cards do not contain the data needed to play their game. Instead, they merely act as a signifier that a game has been purchased, and inserting one into the Switch 2 will allow that game to be downloaded onto the console. There are several disadvantages to this system, which have led many to think of it as a major flaw in the Switch 2’s release strategy.
The pricing for most of the Nintendo Switch 2's upcoming catalog of games is not only expensive, but also oddly...
