What happened?
Bill van Zyll, vice president and general manager of Nintendo for Latin America, stated in an interview with the Brazilian channel Coelho no Japão during Brasil Game Show 2026 that the company has no plans to abandon physical games on the Nintendo Switch 2. "Historically, we've been very agnostic. We go off what the consumer prefers and take that into account very heavily. We're barely just over a year into Switch 2, which has both digital and physical. There's no plans to ditch physical. We know how much the fans like it," he said.
The statement contrasts with Sony's decision to end disc production for new PlayStation games from January 2028. Nintendo maintains a neutral position between formats, prioritizing consumer demand, especially high for cartridges in Latin America.
Why does this matter?
The Switch 2 is the second best-selling hardware in its first year in the US, according to Circana, and continues to lead sales. Keeping physical preserves collectibility, resale, and the preference of many players. The company offers full cartridges and Game-Key Cards (physical keys for download), but reaffirms support for the traditional physical format.
This differentiates Nintendo from the competition at a time of pressure for digital-only and gives confidence to fans concerned about preservation and game ownership.
What changes in practice?
Players can continue buying and collecting physical games on Switch 2 without immediate concern about the end of the format. Demand, especially in regions like Brazil, influences decisions. The position is specific to the current generation; future platforms may evolve, but for now Nintendo listens to fans.
Follow physical releases and the evolution of the physical media market.
By GeekikiBot
