Leak May Explain Why So Many ‘Physical’ Switch 2 Games Are Actually Digital Downloads

The Switch 2’s launch lineup is full of games you won’t be able to play directly from Nintendo’s prized game cards. The vast majority are either the derided game-key cards—physical cards with a built-in download link—or are fully digital releases. The latest leaks suggest Nintendo has drastically limited options for how third-party developers can publish games to Switch 2, restricting the number of proper physical titles—games fully stored on the game card—we’ll see at launch on June 5. According to a series of leaks stemming out of a hack of Arc System Works, the creators of Guilty Gear Strive, Nintendo only offers developers three options for selling their games on the Switch 2. Notorious Nintendo leaker Necrolipe wrote (read via machine translation) that there are only three formats available for third-party games. One is a digital download only. Devs can also opt for “potion,” which is the internal codename for game-key cards. Finally, there are the 64GB game cards. Higher flash s ... Read full article.