Despite being a big step forward in many areas, the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 has brought with it some new practices that have not gone down well with gamers. In particular, one of the most notable is the use in physical Nintendo Switch 2 sales of so-called Game Key cards, which are basically an empty cartridge with a launcher to download the full game from Nintendo's eShop via an internet connection. Something that analysts already started to point out a few weeks ago was affecting sales, and which now leaves us with yet another piece of information that supports that suspicion.
All because according to uanalyze Macronix, maker of physical Switch and Switch 2 cartridges, has filed its latest fiscal report in which it warns of a loss of 1.276 billion Taiwanese dollars (about 42 million US dollars), due according to them to currency appreciation adjustments and recognition of inventory reduction. But it turns out that in the ROM memory segment (i.e. Nintendo console cartridges) they reported a 2% decrease. It seems that this has led them to consider offering more versions with different cartridge storage capacities to companies.
Currently Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges only come in two versions, depending on their capacity: 8GB and 64GB, which explains why many games have initially opted for the Game Key Card model. However, between poor sales and the results of consumer surveys on Game Key Cards, a return to full game cartridges may be accelerating.
Do you think this could be the beginning of the end for Game Key Cards?