80%
Probable
[UPDATE - December 19, 10:23 AM] Though an official confirmation has yet to be provided, it's all but confirmed that more Nintendo Switch 2 cartridge options are being offered to publishers. According to ININ Games, two new, smaller cartridge sizes were announced this week by Nintendo, allowing the publisher to release R-Type Dimensions III on a physical cartridge in Europe.
The downside is that the price of the game will increase by 10€, essentially confirming that some publishers will still prefer using Game-Key Cards to keep costs down.
Original story follows.
[Original Story] The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 earlier this year was accompanied by a radical change for retail releases with the Game-Key cards, which essentially act as a bridge between a retail and a digital release, requiring users to download the full game on their systems to play it using said cards as a sort of access license.
Although the community has been very vocal about their dislike about these releases for justifiable reasons, it seems like Game-Key Cards are here to stay, even with Nintendo attempting to address the issue that made many developers pick this format over a traditional cartdrige.
As reported by Nintendeal on Bluesky, the Japanese company is seemingly producing smaller-capacity Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges that would allow more developers to publish proper retail releases of their games.
"Due to chip shortages it will take time before we see widespread availability," Nintendeal added, but this won't be the only reason why it may be more time until more Switch 2 games receive traditional retail releases. "Despite the smaller capacity, these cards will still be expensive due to rising cost of materials," the user continued, predicting that "Game-Key Cards are not going away."
The widespread use of Game-Key Cards for Nintendo Switch 2 games' retail releases is reportedly caused by physical cartridges coming with a single 64 GB option, which could be too expensive for games coming in smaller sizes and are simply not enough for larger games.
Nintendo's reported decision to produce smaller-capacity cartridges is definitely a step in the right direction, but under the current circumstances, developers may continue to prefer using Game-Key cards to keep costs down and overcome some technical limitations, to the disappointment of every fan of physical game releases.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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