Unlike Sony, Nintendo Exec says Switch 2 Maker has no plans to drop physical releases: 'We know how much fans enjoy them.'

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Nintendo Switch 2 physical games

Sony has taken a lot of heat for its decision to ditch physical games. Fans spent the summer bombarding the PlayStation State of Play live stream with cries of "no disc, no purchase" while listing every time the company had previously claimed players owned their digital games. Against this background, other hardware manufacturers have stepped carefully. Microsoft has remained neutral on whether the company will continue to support physical games with next-generation Project Helix Xbox devices. On the other hand, Nintendo is now assuring fans that physical games are at least still on the Switch 2.

Nintendo's vice president and general manager of Latin America, Bill van Zyl, spoke about this in a recent interview with YouTuber Coelho during the Brazil Game Show. The Nintendo-focused YouTube channel asked about a number of topics related to Nintendo's activities in the region, including localized Nintendo Directs. This was when the question of physical games inevitably came up. Van Zyll was keen to emphasize the benefits of the format while also confirming the company's plans to produce physical games.

"Historically, we didn't have a preference for a particular format," he explains. "We're very receptive to consumer preferences. We also have a platform that just launched. We've had the Nintendo Switch 2 for a little over a year now, and it offers both digital and physical games. So, we have no plans to abandon physical media. We know how much fans enjoy it."

It is worth noting that consumers' preferences are more in favor of physical sales on Nintendo platforms than their competitors. While Sony's unit sales share of full digital game downloads is 82 percent compared to physical, Nintendo's digital sales ratio (calculated as unit sales of all digital games, including digital-only titles, versus physical sales) is 61.5 percent in its latest financial report. Recent US sales data also shows that while many game key cards have been disappointed, the cards that act as pieces of plastic with DRM keys inside, haven't stopped people from buying them.

Nintendo's heavy reliance on physical sales makes any argument for a switch to digital sales much weaker, making the choice to continue supporting physical sales an expected response from the company. However, while Sony continues to talk to a number of companies about their decision, it at least reassures Nintendo fans that the company has no plans to follow suit. At least for now.

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