Former Capcom dev says Nintendo Switch 2 Game Key Cards protect the gaming industry
Former Capcom developer and veteran game composer Masakazu Sugimori is defending Nintendo’s controversial Game Key Cards for the Switch 2, stating that the format is not driven by corporate greed, but rather by efforts to protect the gaming industry.
In a lengthy post on X, Sugimori dismissed fans' accusations of the alleged greedy nature that the cards are essentially physical vouchers, which require players to download the full game digitally, effectively cutting costs on Nintendo’s end.
Notable here is Nintendo’s financial position, as the company has cash reserves of $13.72 billion as of March 2025. Sugimori stated the company does not need to “shave pennies” on the distribution of video games when it possesses such “insane” levels of liquidity.
Sugimori further added that Game Key Cards are “largely aimed at protecting the gaming industry and the digital entertainment industry” by decreasing risks of piracy and excess inventory storage for publishers.
The former Capcom developer also addressed criticisms, deeming the format harmful for long-term game accessibility and game preservation.
He stated:
“Physical things have a lifespan, and they eventually break. Digital goods, on the other hand, don’t have a lifespan.” By saying this, he challenges the idea, held by many in the gaming community, that physical games are better than digital licenses, especially for preservationists.
Game Key Cards have resulted in widespread outrage in the gaming industry ever since the format’s introduction alongside the Nintendo Switch 2’s debut. Nintendo even conducted a survey in July 2025, polling Japanese gamers on their “openness” to digital-physical hybrids.
Furthermore, Japan’s National Diet Library announced in August 2025 that Game Key Cards have been deemed ineligible for its government-funded archiving program, which houses over 9,600 video games, stating that “a key card on its own does not qualify as a game.”
Amid the ongoing outrage, Nintendo stated that first-party Switch 2 titles will continue using traditional cartridges containing full game data, with Game Key Cards acting as a cost-effective tool for third-party publishers who cannot afford to ship games on their 64GB cartridges.
Only a few third-party publishers have used full-game cartridges, including day-one release Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Daemon x Machina Titanic Scion, the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, and Yooka-Replaylee, just to name a few.
Get the Nintendo Switch 2 on Amazon here
