Nintendo might be trying to conflate digital copies of games with physical sales through its new Game-Key Cards for the Switch 2. However, Capcom has revealed that titles its Game-Key Card releases through will be counted as digital sales for its record keeping purposes. The company revealed during its recent financial report when answering a question about whether Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2 (sold through Game-Key Card) would be considered a physical sale or a digital one.
The question was likely asked because physical copies of games tend to have more overhead than digital copies. While digital copies can be sold directly through a platform holder’s store – in this case the eShop – physical copies on the other hand often have extra costs associated, such as costs for manufacturing transportation and even spillage. Generally speaking, physical copies tend to offer a lower profit margin when compared to digital copies, where the publisher makes 70 percent of the game’s sale price in revenue, depending on its deals with the platform owner.
Game-Key Cards were first introduced back in April, with the idea being that it would be a way for digital-only games to get physical releases without having to worry about some of the overhead costs. Game-Key Cards essentially contain digital keys to a game; when inserted into a Switch 2, the console will automatically download the right game. Much like physical copies of games, Game-Key Cards can also be shared with other players. However, a game downloaded through the system requires the Game-Key Card inserted to be able to play.
The system has seen quite a bit of criticism, especially from those in the industry that care about video game preservation. One notable critic of Game-Key Cards is Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick, who called the new system “disheartening”, because it essentially risks games released through the system being lost to time if Nintendo were to ever shut down its servers.
“Seeing Nintendo do this is a little disheartening,” said Kick. “You would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously.”
Nintendo has, in the past, shut down servers for consoles it has considered out-dated. Due to this, consoles like Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS no longer have any servers live, from multiplayer to even the eShop servers. This also means that those that bought digital copies of Nintendo 3DS games can no longer download them if they didn’t already have it downloaded.
Bath Spa University’s game development course leader and Videogame Heritage Society professorJames Newman has also criticised the system, essentially calling it a fancier form of DRM. “Even when a cartridge does contain data on day one of release, games are so often patched, updated and expanded through downloads that the cart very often loses its connection to the game and functions more like a physical copy protection dongle for a digital object,” he said.
The major game that Capcom has released for the Nintendo Switch 2 is Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition. As its name implies, the game includes the Year 1 and Year 2 DLC fighters that were brought to its original release. Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2 is available digitally through the eShop, as well as in the form of a Game-Key Card.
