Nintendo officially states its stance on the dispute between physical and digital games. Switch 2 continues to support dual versions

Abstract:

Nowadays, players often discuss a question: Will games no longer have physical versions in the future and all will be replaced by digital versions? Nintendo recently made its position clear. Sony and Microsoft have different approaches to the issue, and Nintendo has good news for gamers and collectors who prefer physical games.

Sony plans to stop producing physical PlayStation games in 2028, which has upset some fans. Microsoft is doing it differently: Xbox has launched a new program that lets players convert physical game discs into digital licenses, getting the best of both worlds. Nintendo has only recently made it clear that its plans going forward will not change.

In an interview with Brazilian YouTuber Coelho no Japao, Bill van Zyll, vice president and general manager of Nintendo Latin America, said that Nintendo has no plans to stop producing and publishing physical games.

Nintendo will see which format players prefer; it plans to continue releasing physical versions as long as there is a market for physical games.

Zyll said: "Looking back at what we have done in the past, we have not been biased towards one format, right? We will do it according to the preferences of consumers and attach great importance to their choices. We also have a console that has just been launched. NS2 has only been out for a year, and it supports both digital and physical versions. We have no plans to abandon the physical version. We also know how much fans like the physical version, so our position has always been to support both formats."

However, although Nintendo says it will continue to produce physical games, some games on Switch 2 still use controversial game key fobs. These versions come with physical cartridges, but the game itself is not included in the cartridge, and players need to download the full game. Here's the rub: Players still have to rely on online services to download games. If these services are shut down in the future, game key fobs may no longer work.

Nintendo also uses price to attract players to buy digital versions in the eShop. For most Switch and Switch 2 games released by Nintendo, digital versions are $10 cheaper than their physical counterparts. Fans who want to collect physical games can still buy physical versions; players who don't care about physical versions can spend less money.

Nintendo releases both physical and digital versions, so it remains largely neutral in this debate. However, it will also release physical copies of major upcoming games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remastered and Metroid Ravenous. Judging from these practices, Nintendo has not followed PlayStation and other platforms to go purely digital. Players who want to continue collecting physical games in the coming years can still buy traditional physical versions published by Nintendo; digital versions will also continue to be available.