Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director says Switch 2 must rely on Game-Key Cards because of its limited specs

Naoki Hamaguchi doesn’t predict a promising future for conventional Switch 2 cartridges. Despite criticisms from gamers, the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director sees Game-Key Cards as becoming more popular. Rather than blaming slow cartridge speeds, Hamaguchi points to other Switch 2 specs as limiting factors.

Like Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, the Switch 2 version of Rebirth will ship on a Game-Key Card. While purchases aren’t tied to Nintendo Switch Online accounts, buyers must download most of a game’s files. The Square Enix legend has attributed the gradual downfall of cartridges to the read speeds of the handheld.

In a new Wccftech interview, Hamaguchi expands on earlier comments about the much-debated format. Instead of the cartridges being the issue, he suggests that the Switch 2 can’t communicate with them quickly enough. Hamaguchi speculates that, “Personally, I feel that the loading speed issue for the game cartridge is more about the hardware spec of the Nintendo Switch 2”.

Many third-party Switch 2 games have abandoned cartridges

Regardless of the reason, Hamaguchi expects that fewer Switch 2 games will ship on standard physical media. According to the game director, “Nintendo will put more effort into popularizing the Game Key Card format which again is a really fantastic idea for us developers”. He admits that developers could help Nintendo better educate gamers about the costs and advantages of the format.

The director of multiple Final Fantasy games describes a bleak future for 64GB cartridges. Yet, an earlier report gave hope that a manufacturer was trying to improve their capabilities. Macronix has produced physical media for Nintendo consoles in the past. The company is reportedly embracing a combination of MLC NAND and 3D NAND technology. The result could be larger, smaller, or cheaper cartridges, giving developers more flexibility.

It’s unclear if read speeds would improve with Macronix’s new approach. More demanding third-party Switch 2 games, like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, will also arrive on the system. If only the handheld’s internal storage could prevent stuttering, Game-Key Cards may dominate the marketplace.