The countdown toward the end of physical video games accelerated earlier this year when PlayStation announced plans to phase out disc production to “adapt to consumer trends.” The move met immediate pushback from collectors and retailers alike, sparking widespread criticism of Sony’s strategy.

While Xbox has already made its choice with its Disc to Digital initiative, Nintendo has largely stayed out of the debate offering few clues about its long-term strategy for physical media. That changed recently when a key executive finally broke the silence.

In a recent interview, Bill van Zyll, Vice President and General Manager of Nintendo Latin America, offered reassuring news for Switch 2 owners regarding the future of physical cartridges.

Will Nintendo Keep Supporting Physical Media?

With PlayStation set to sharply curtail physical game production by early 2028, the PlayStation Store is poised to become virtually the sole marketplace for PS5 software. The shift has raised serious anti-consumer concerns and drawn fire from preservationists, who argue that abandoning disc formats undermines game archive efforts and ownership rights.

Nintendo, by contrast, has a long history of backing physical media across every console generation. The Switch 2 continues that tradition, utilizing cartridges as its primary physical format. Although the introduction of Game-Key Cards sparked debate over the future of game distribution, Nintendo remains committed to keeping physical media viable.

Given PlayStation’s decision, gamers have voiced concerns that Nintendo might follow suit and phase out physical releases during this generation or the next. Speaking with YouTuber Coelho no Japão, van Zyll sought to ease those anxieties.

He confirmed that Nintendo currently has no intention of transitioning to an all-digital ecosystem, guaranteeing continued support for physical releases. Players shouldn’t expect any sudden course changes during the lifecycle of the Switch 2, which has been on the market for just over a year.

Van Zyll emphasized that player demand remains the company’s most important guiding force, noting that Nintendo’s audience continues to support physical software at higher rates than competing platforms.

“We go off what the consumer prefers, and take that into account very heavily. We also have a platform that just launched. We’re barely just over a year into NS2. It’s got both digital and it also has physical, that capability. So, 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,” Bill van Zyll said.

Formato físico Nintendo Switch 2 cartuchos

Nintendo Will Preserve Physical Media, Together with Controversial Game-Key Cards

Even as Nintendo reaffirms its commitment to physical games, Game-Key Cards remain a hot topic. While sold on store shelves like standard cartridges, these cards carry minimal data on the media itself, requiring an internet connection to download the actual game.

Critics argue this practice compromises long-term preservation and undermines the core benefits of physical ownership. For many, Game-Key Cards are seen as a compromise driven by the storage constraints of the Switch 2 hardware.

While Nintendo now offers higher-capacity cartridges to publishers, Game-Key Cards are expected to remain a permanent feature. That means players will continue to deal with their drawbacks including a dependency on digital servers that could render physical purchases unplayable if they ever go offline or if the cards are lost or damaged.

For more news on the Nintendo Switch 2, click here.