Most Switch 2 Third Party Games Are Game-Key Cards In Japan - But It Can Still Get Worse

Fans who pre-ordered the Switch 2 in Japan were struck by an unhappy truth.

Gematsu summed up what everyone has been talking about online:

“Switch 2 game pre-orders have been up in Japan for a few hours, revealing all physical third-party games (so far—except Cyberpunk 2077) that are not “Nintendo Switch 2 Editions” to be shipping on game-key cards (requires internet to download the full game).”

Gematsu also shared a picture of Japanese third party games that were clearly labeled as Game-Key Cards. They include the following:

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Shine Post: Be Your Idol!
Wild Hearts S
Survival Kids
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Kunitsu-Gami Path of the Goddess
Ryu Ga Gotoku 0 Director’s Cut
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Daemon X: Machina Titanic Scion
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Street Fighter 6

However, it must be noted that there are certain exceptions and differences, even for the same game in different region. For example, Daemon X: Machina Titanic Scion is a complete game in cartridge in the US, even as it was revealed to be a Game-Key Card for Japan. As this fan has pointed out, Cyberpunk 2077, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, and Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma are the only other 3^rd party Switch 2 games that are confirmed to contain the full game in the box.

But then, Gematsu shared a follow up that really puts things into perspective. They said this:

“Ys X: Proud Nordics and No Sleep for Kaname Date are also game-key cards in Japan. And retail descriptions for Split Fiction list it as a code-in-a-box.”

It is great that Split Fiction is coming to Switch 2, and also has multiplatform Friend’s Pass. It’s even better that it uses GameShare so you can share the game with a Switch user. But we have to reckon that Hazelight decided not to make a physical version of Split Fiction available for the Switch 2, at least in Japan. It makes one wonder if the game will also only be a download code in a box in the US and the rest of the world as well.

And therein lies the rub. For as much as fans have debated that Game-Key Cards are worse or better for video game preservation and ownership, the reason Nintendo came up with Game-Key Cards in the first place may not be going away, even on the Switch 2. Maybe Split Fiction is a special case, because of Friend’s Pass, or because EA just had to make different arrangements to do business in Japan. But it won’t be great if Game-Key Cards won’t actually do away with Switch 2 physical releases that are only download codes in boxes.

Ultimately, the marketplace will make their own assessments of what to make of Game-Key Cards, as this unique scenario where digital games can finally be resold or given away multiple times. Maybe Nintendo can assuage consumer fears by making arrangements so that when a game gets delisted, the final Game-Key Card owner has a chance to claim the game for their Nintendo Account. But then again, we wouldn’t be surprised if 3^rd parties experiment with higher priced 100 GB cartridges somewhere down the line too. As of right now, we don’t think the verdict is out yet on how Game-Key Cards will be viewed by consumers, especially the ones who do things like play a new Call of Duty and do away with the last one every year. So we’ll see how it goes.