Many gamers are still debating about the relevance and impact of game-key cards for Nintendo Switch 2 games. Certain releases will not have the full game data on the cartridge for physical games you can buy in stores, but will instead have a key to trigger a download from the internet. It’s something that has sparked a lot of controversy among Switch 2 owners, with many decrying the practice as something that could impact what gamers actually own when they buy a physical game in stores. But the debate doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon, especially after the release of Star Wars Outlaws for the Nintendo Switch 2, adding further fuel to the fiery conversation.
An audio architect at Ubisoft, Rob Bantin, had a long post on social media explaining why the Switch 2 utilizes game-key cards in the way it does, and why it’s necessary for certain games to run correctly. According to his posts, he says that Star Wars Outlaws relies on disk streaming for the open world within the game, which cannot be done right using only the Switch 2 cartridge. And while this new information from someone that released a game on a Switch 2 cartridge makes a lot of sense, it still hasn’t changed my view on the entire issue. Here’s why I’m staying cautious about game-key cards despite Star Wars Outlaws releasing on Nintendo Switch 2.
A lack of choice
No options for how to proceed
Although Rob’s statements about why a game-key card is necessary for a game like Star Wars Outlaws to run well on the Switch 2, it’s only one example of a game for the console. Not every release for the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to need the resources to render out an open-world in the same way that Kay Vess’ adventure in a galaxy far, far away requires. But at the same time, the reasoning gets away from the original problem that most people had with game-key cards in concept. They aren’t actually buying the data of the game itself on the cartridge, but rather a key to download a game from the internet.
The first problem with this is when one doesn’t have a connection to the internet and the Nintendo eShop, meaning that a new game purchase is useless until you connect the system online. The second is what exactly is being bought in the first place, which is radically different from how things were before with the original Nintendo Switch. Gamers aren’t trying to buy keys to a download when going to get a game they want at retail stores like GameStop. They want to be able to play their games right away, with all the data they need on the cartridge itself, plain and simple.
But the bigger issue with game-key cards is a complete lack of choice for players. Why can’t there be an option for me to just play the game data off the cartridge if there’s no internet connection at the time? And why not offer me the option to download the game later if I don’t want to go through the hassle of connecting online to download a game? It comes off more that consumers need to settle for what they’re given, rather than making an active choice about how to start engaging with their purchase. None of that has to do with the way a game plays on the Switch 2 itself, because the problems pile on long before I can even boot up the game on my console.
Not every game should require it
Every title is built differently
The heart of the explanation from Rob about Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 is that the cartridges themselves can’t render out the open-world the way they need it to when playing. As a game-key card download, the data can be read and processed by the Switch 2 faster, allowing for the game to run better on the console. According to Rob’s statements online, it wasn’t because of the cost of producing cartridges for the game, but rather making sure they hit the target performance needed for the game to run well for everyone. The goal was to get things as close to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions as possible, in which they succeeded.
This may have been the right call for a game like Star Wars Outlaws, where a large area that’s detailed with characters and objects needs the best way to render everything without breaking the experience. But as far as the topic of game-key cards themselves, it’s not something that every title would uniquely require to run. Games like Mario Kart World have their own version of an open environment that is rendered very well, and doesn’t require a download from the internet after inserting a cartridge. Other games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, were also not a game-key card release and had a massively detailed world to explore that ran totally fine on the Switch 2.
So it becomes a different question for everyone. Is it more about the type of games that need to be game-key card releases, or what is more convenient for studios to release? As of now, there are 36 total upcoming and current titles that are game-key card releases for the Nintendo Switch 2. And not all of them are designed to be like an open-world game. Other titles are staying as the traditional physical release with the full game on the cartridge, which further muddies up the conversation about why game-key cards are so controversial.
The perception hasn’t changed
People are not budging on it
As much of the legit reason that Star Wars Outlaws has to be a game-key card release, people like myself aren’t convinced enough to change our outlook on the topic. There may be a mild improvement in performance for most games that are made to be game-key card releases, but at that point it feels like one should just get the digital download if that’s a real concern. Why would I even bother to get the physical copy of the game that is a game-key card, when I can just download it off the eShop? And furthermore, if that is really the benefit to having a new release on the Switch 2, why isn’t every developer doing that for their own games? It’s questions like this that remain unanswered, or not given a good enough answer, that is keeping most people from fully supporting the concept.
It all goes back to the main issues brought up by game-key cards in the first place. What is it that I’m really buying as a consumer? And unfortunately, until there’s a big enough Switch 2 game or indisputable reason for developers to release games just like this, the majority of players are never going to fully accept it. The idea of going to buy a full game physically and not receiving the full game on the cartridge is always going to rub people the wrong way, no matter how many reasons are given. As someone who has been buying games for a long time on platforms with physical media that include all the data for a game to play, it’s something I’m never going to get away from, or change so easily.
The ongoing Switch 2 game debate