Nintendo Discusses Whether Switch 2 Game-Key Cards Are Affecting Third-Party Sales

Nintendo has offered an explanation on whether Switch 2 Game-Key Cards are affecting sales of the console's third-party launch titles.

[gold_drake]

mmh im not sure.

it begs the question why not just buy them digitally outright

but this is nintendos fault.

[LoveSpuds]

The main reason for me would be to borrow games to my family members which I do regularly. But otherwise I agree, may as well go digital.

[gold_drake]

yeh ur absolutely right.

im surprised that 3rd party defs support it actually

[Nerdmaster]

Game key cards: you can borrow. You can sell. You can buy used ones. Stores can sell them with discounts. You can put the case in your bookshelf with the rest of your collection. If you delete the files from your system, you just put in the cartridge and the download starts, without you having to look for it in your previously purchased list.

Digital: none of the above.

[Benjaminkno]

3rd parties REQUESTED game cards to save money.

[gold_drake]

ok the point still stands.

[CrimsonWing69]

It’s not. Digital sales are considerably stronger than physical. I think a majority of consumers just weren’t interested in the launch line-up or were fine with Mario Kart. I remember a YouTuber asking people in line what games they were getting and many were saying they aren’t and will just play Tears of the Kingdom.

[gold_drake]

singleplayer games will see loss, 100%

friends, siblings or parents that also play, they can share it now no problem now.

[CrimsonWing69]

Sorry, just trying to get clarification. Are you meaning like how you could just share a single cartridge in the same way?

[Notellin]

There is absolutely no doubt that it is a factor. I would never buy one or even let my son accept one as a gift. We will be returning anything on a Game Key Card if we get one.

[franwex]

Jeez man. Even a gift? That’s a tad much. So if he gets a digital code for a game you will also return it?

[Tacoboto]

Gamers are weird people

[Notellin]

Yeah absolutely. I'd let him have the money to purchase something else that he wants.

[garos82]

you doing gods work. thats the only way to stop them

[jznrpg]

I don’t buy 3rd party on Nintendo because it’s the worst version. Key cards is just an added reason not to buy 3rd party on Nintendo.

[Servbot41]

Yup. A bunch of games I already played that are half the price on every other platform and perform better on every other platform. Not interested in playing in handheld mode, so that feature isn't a selling point to me and I'd bet a lot of others as well.

[franwex]

Nintendo doesn’t really care about third party games. This has been a fact since the NES days.

[PRIMORDUS]

Nintendo should have made it mandatory, that all publishers/devs. have both physical and digital games for sale or don't bother, will be the message to them. Nintendo has that kind of power now to put their foot down, because the Switch 2 will follow in the Switch 1 success. I personally like to buy used Switch 1 games off ebay, for a much cheaper price. I see myself buying less when I get a Switch 2, because I will only look for physical games.

[Benjaminkno]

They’re trying to repair their relationships, so they are doing game cards because developers asked for them

[hiawa23]

Who knows, I bought the Switch 2 for the Nintendo games. No reason to buy inferior 3rd party games that I already have on my PS5 Pro and Series X consoles.

[BlaqMagiq1]

I would never buy third party multiplatform games on Switch because they will be the worst version but key-cards are absolute trash. Hopefully they die off completely.

[Yseff2024]

👍👍