CD Projekt Red explains why they decided to put all of Cyberpunk 2077 on a card for Switch 2

One phenomenon we will be introduced to with Switch 2 is the so-called Game-Key Card. It's a new type of physical game that seems to be becoming pretty standard to the format. But... they don't contain a game, they are just a kind of key that allows you to download the content.

So, the day all servers are closed, you won't be able to play these titles anymore (if you haven't already downloaded them) because the card doesn't contain anything. There are exceptions, however, and the most notable comes from CD Projekt Red. They are releasing perhaps the most spectacular title for Switch 2, namely Cyberpunk 2077 in a version that even seems to be better than the Steam Deck edition.

The sheer size of the game means that it needs a cartridge totaling 64 gigabytes; but despite that, the studio sees it as important to deliver physical games that actually include the game and not just a key. In an interview with The Game Business, the studio's vice president of business development, Jan Rosner, explains their reasoning, stating that they try to "look at those things as players ourselves" and continues:

"The [internal storage] was way lower than it is now. A game like The Witcher 3 would take up to 80% of your internal memory if you don't have an external memory card. But... a plug and play experience is a really cool thing. We've already seen from the original Switch that Nintendo players are quite receptive to that. It was a goal that we wanted to achieve fairly early on."

Rosner also says that Nintendo gamers care a lot about physical games, and although they could have opted for a Game-Key Card, it was decided that including the game on the card was the right thing to do:

"But again, it's especially important for the Nintendo audience. We maybe could have gotten away with it, but is there a point? The right thing to do was to have it out on the cartridge with a plug and play experience."

What do you think about this? Do you care if it's a Game-Key Card or if the game is actually on your card, or do you not care?