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Nintendo Physical Games Are Not Going Anywhere Yet
As Sony Interactive Entertainment prepares to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games in 2028, Nintendo says it currently has no plans to follow suit. Speaking during an interview with Coelho no Japão, Nintendo Latin America Vice President and General Manager Bill van Zyll said the company has historically remained “agnostic” about how players buy games and pays close attention to consumer preference.
“There are no plans to ditch physical,” van Zyll said, adding that the company knows how much its fans value the format. The comments come several months after Sony confirmed that it will end production of physical discs for new PlayStation releases in January 2028.
Games released physically before then will not be affected, but new titles arriving beyond the cut-off will be sold digitally instead. Sony attributed the decision to consumer preferences increasingly shifting towards digital distribution.
Switch 2 Still Supports Physical and Digital Games
Van Zyll pointed to the Switch 2 as evidence of the company’s current approach, with the console supporting both downloadable games and physical cartridges just over a year into its life.
Physical media appears particularly relevant in van Zyll’s own region. He noted that players across Latin America, including Brazil, prefer physical releases more than consumers in some other markets. However, “physical” on Switch 2 does not necessarily mean the entire game is stored on the cartridge.
Nintendo’s Game-Key Card format provides a physical card that acts as a key to download a game rather than containing all its data. The approach attracted considerable criticism when third-party Nintendo Switch 2 releases began relying heavily on Game-Key Cards, particularly among players concerned with long-term preservation and having a genuinely self-contained copy.
The format still lets you lend or resell a game with its card, but it sits somewhere between traditional cartridges and fully digital ownership.
Nintendo’s Position Is Reassuring, but Not a Forever Promise
Van Zyll’s wording is also worth keeping in perspective. Saying Nintendo has “no plans” to abandon physical media is not the same as guaranteeing cartridges indefinitely. For now, though, it clearly contrasts with Sony’s announced 2028 strategy. Microsoft has yet to announce an equivalent end date for Xbox discs, but it has reportedly explored Disc2Digital technology that could convert supported physical Xbox games into digital entitlements.
For collectors, second-hand buyers and preservation advocates, Nintendo therefore remains the major console manufacturer giving traditional physical distribution the clearest vote of confidence. The bigger question may eventually become not whether Nintendo still sells games in boxes, but how much of the game is actually on the cartridge inside.
