While theNintendo Switch 2is a success, The buildup to the launch wasmarred with complaints about how expensive the consoleis, as well as the$80 price of first-party games like Super Mario World. However, the backlash was not just about the price, but also aboutNintendo’s new game key card system.
A weird mix between physical copies and digital downloads, game key cards act as keys to unlock the download of a game. While they can be shared with friends, unlike digital downloads, it also means that you can’t play them without the card itself. To get a better idea of the innovation’s reception, Nintendo has released a survey in Japan asking if players prefer the key cards over digital downloads, but it doesn’t include the option that everyone really wants – physical copies.
Nintendo Is Completely Ignoring Physical Game Copies
As reported bySwitchSoku(viaVGC), Nintendo has sent out a survey to players in Japan, asking if they know about the Switch 2’s game key cards, and if they affect their purchasing decision. While this is a good way to try and understand what your consumer base wants, it seems Nintendo simply left out the option that most people would choose.
The questions in the survey were:
Multiple choice answers were provided for each question.
Unfortunately, there was no mention of physical copies mentioned anywhere in the survey. The third question only gave users the option between the game key card and digital download. It’s safe to say that if an option for a physical copy was present, a large majority would probably have chosen it.
While this isn’t proof that Nintendo is doing away with the physical copies by any stretch, since Cyberpunk 2077 will include the full game on the card, it is disheartening to see that the company isn’t factoring it into its research.
