Nintendo Switch 2 will introduce game-key cards that don't contain game data but act as proof of purchase. Nightdive Studios' CEO criticized Nintendo's lack of game preservation with the new ...

Game-Key Cards, unless they can be sold or given to others, aren't entirely different from how Nintendo treats certain original Switch games that can be bought physically in a store but are in ...

Every Switch 2 game that releases in “Game-key card” form will have a small notice at the bottom of the case. This notice reads “full game download via internet required”.

Summary Nintendo Switch 2's first-party games will not use the Game Key-Card feature, ensuring full game data on physical cartridges. Third party games have the option to use Game Key-Cards.

When you insert them into a Switch 2, they allow you to download the game content from Nintendo's online store, but unlike a pure digital release, you'll still need to have the Game-Key card ...

Nintendo says game-key cards “don’t contain the full game data.” They instead include a “key” that lets you immediately download a game to the Switch 2 as soon as you plop it in.

And unfortunately, game-key cards don't future-proof customers against the day when Nintendo might decide to shut down the servers for the Switch 2, as it did with other sunsetted hardware like ...