Nintendo is gauging player opinion on Switch 2’s controversial Game Key Cards in Japan.
SinceSwitch2’s launch, Game Key Cards have attracted criticism from some for the fact that they contain no more than a digital activation key for game titles, rather than any game data.
The only difference between a Game Key Card title and a digital download is that the former can be resold and will work on other Switch 2 systems, without the need forVirtual Game Card lending.
So far, the vast majority of third-party Switch 2 games are Game-Key Cards, with only a few exceptions,reportedlybecause only one size of card is available to developers: 64GB.
Now, as reported bySwitchSoku,Nintendohas sent Japanese players a survey to gauge their awareness of the Game Key Card system, and if it affects the way they purchase games.
The survey first asks participants if they’re aware of Game Key Cards. It then follows this up by asking if the user is aware of the characteristics of Game Key Cards, such as their requirement for players to download game data, and that the card must be inserted in order to play.
Finally, the survey asks if the participant would rather purchase a Game Key Card or a digital download version of the same game. A full summary of the survey can be found below:
Do you know anything about the characteristics of the Game Key Cards? Please select all that you know.
After reading the above explanation, if you wanted to buy a piece of software and there was a Game Key Card or a download version available, which would you choose? Please choose the answer that applies.
Game preservationists have come out against the Game Key Card system, calling it“disheartening.”
Stephen Kick, CEO ofNightdive Studios(which specialises in modern remasters of older, often out-of-print games) toldGamesIndustry.bizthat “seeing Nintendo do this is a little disheartening”, adding: “You would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously.”
Far Cry4,Assassin’s Creed 3, andRevenge of the Savage PlanetdirectorAlex Hutchinsonsimilarly criticized the Game Key Card system.
“I hate it,” said Hutchinson in an interview withVideoGamer. “I think it’s sort of lame. I don’t know, I just feel like it’s getting away… we’re losing some of what made the business special. Trading Game Boy cartridges at school, or, you know, DS for the modern audience. There’s something nice about that.
