Pokémon Pokopia Is Nintendo's First Game-Key Card Release

Oh hell no. Nope.

Ugh.

And it's Pokemon, so sales are practically guaranteed.

This is likely a Koei Tecmo decision since they’re the developers.

@Jireland92 the publisher decides, not the developer
This game is published by The Pokemon Company.

What the heck? Didn't Nintendo say that their titles be non-Game Key Card? Or is Pokemon just different?

Why, Nintendo, why??
I thought I could at least depend on 1st party not being game key cards😭
I hope this isn’t a new precedent being set.

Wonder if it's a data streaming speed issue. That limitation of the physical cards is for sure going to result in some Nintendo games being GKC. Wouldn't be surprised if the next 3D Zelda is one of them.

I was so excited for that game too. that’s a big disappointment. :’-(

This was inevitable.

The Switch 2 carts are prohibitively expensive for everyone, even Nintendo.

Please refrain from using the term "full blown" in combination with Game Key Card. There's nothing full blown about them. They're empty cards...

If this game is coming on Game Key Card that's a hard pass from me.

Just adding to the increasingly common Pokémon L's this decade

Ew, what. This sucks.

Ran into my first instance of running out of space on the default Switch 2 internal storage just the other day. Looked at express microsd cards and they’re expensive.
I’ll stick with games on cartridges for now thank you.

@PerfectFrost Yeah, this game with simplistic graphics and a fixed camera probably needs lightning-fast loading.

My reaction IF this is indeed a GKC everywhere (still waiting on official confirmation though):

Edit: Well this comment section exploded. I was in a work meeting for only an hour.

Edit 2: Confirmed. Which means this Pika-pression is relevant.

"But then if that's the case, then why didn't Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment also receive a Game-Key Card release?"
Good lord, the acting like Nintendo signed contracts bound in blood specifying extremely specific terms which can never ever change. It's an option for release that any company can take at any time and clearly the option wasn't exercised for that particular game. And Nintendo very well could release a Nintendo-developed game as a key card, and Miyamoto probably won't go to jail for it. Believe it or not, a company may say they'll do things or not do things and even promise, and they could go back on that word.

You all know that standard cards also won't last forever and will degrade over time right?

@darkswabber KT still must have some say in the matter. I also imagine they don’t want to spend the extra sheckles on this since, Pokemon or not, it’s still a spinoff in a niche genre. I think this says more about the internal sales projections than anything else.

Please tell me this is like the limited releases from 2020, where Nintendo tries it once and never again. If I have to buy the next Zelda or Animal Crossing as either a GKC or from the eshop I’m gonna freak out

Nintendo really needs to introduce partial installs from game cards, where there are data streaming speed issues. This all or nothing approach is quickly alienating me.

Well look at this...another Game Key Card.

I'm flabbergasted. My flabber has never been so gasted.

Easiest decision ever to not buy this game for me then. Extremely lame that Nintendo seems to be going back on their first party games not being released on game key cards thing. They need to get more sizes available for their game cards asap

While still early days (only 6 months into Switch 2), I do believe that GKCs are likely to stay, yet I still believe some games’ physical releases will fail due to their use of them.

Really all depends on the game. This is the kind of mass market release where a GKC will have minimum impact and many buyers will know no better or simply not care.

In contrast, a niche title where the physical is released later than its digital release or is popular amongst collectors would would be tantamount to suicide if they did a GKC.

It’s going to be an individual decision per game and some bad decisions will be made.

I was probably going to get this game digitally eventually anyways because dlc, but... now I'm not so sure...

@Willo567, degrading is a completely different beast than not owning your purchases.

I don't care about Pokemon but I don't see game key cards as an issue. Sony and Microsoft are going that way too. All 3 companies would only do digital purchases only if they could, but they want that physical storefront presence especially during Christmas present buying season. These game card releases are not for everyday gamers, but for clueless parents/relatives who want to put something under a tree. This is a perfect solution.

@PerfectFrost this game doesn’t seem nearly as demanding as something like DK or Mario Kart. Heck, Animal Crossing on switch 1 looks 10x better than this

Not buying this, but only because I wasn't going to buy it anyway.

So many people willing to spite their face by cutting off their nose. There's no reason to deny yourself the positive experience of playing a game you want. If you don't want to support GKC then purchase the digital version.

I'm not getting this game regardless, but Nintendo's decisions this generation are seriously hurting physical media. Game-Key cards are the worst of both worlds, you still don't own the game and it lacks the flexibility of true digital games.

The fact that it says sample in large text on the video means it’s probably not confirmed, shouldn’t make a big deal out of it yet

Edit: nevermind, I was wrong. This sucks honestly

i kinda defended them as maybe a way for smaller devs to do physical easier but now it's unacceptable. Literally like the largest francise in the world

Hahaha haha ha ha haha ha.....

Noooooooooope.

Also I'm not too worried about Nintendo's own games coming out on these. Pokémon is its own thing.

But I guess the moment Nintendo's own games release on these dreadful things, I'll have to boycott those as well.

@Nep-Nep-Freak
Well once the card degrades and it's completely useless you won't own that anymore either

Would it be better if it was an actual game card? Yes.

Do I care? No, not really.

That will be a no for me. No thanks. No no no.

I still don't understand what's wrong with Keycards.

But everyone seems to complain about them.

......well, okay, I guess with the next console I am getting those micro sds and going full digital

I yearn for the sweet release of death

This game being on key card is probably an all or nothing situation. Pokémon has released quite a bit of digital only title for the Switch. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was planned to be a digital only release. The low cost of key cards allowed them ship it where the biggest audience will see it… on store shelves.

@LightSpirit So like every other thing?

Before I make a general comment about Nintendo using Game-Key Cards, I would need to see them using them on Mario in general, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Smash Bros. or even Xenoblade.

Pokémon? It is in a weird position and at this point, I'm convinced TPC gets the final say that overrules Nintendo's for everything Pokémon, at least when it comes to the games.

This happened a bit sooner than I expected but at least it's one of the more tagential first party releases.

Still a bit concerning as this game doesn't look particularly demanding or has a large file size which have been two official responses to the use of GKCs in the past.

I'll never understand most of you here. Denying yourself an experience because of your obsession with data being on a piece of plastic instead of your console storage, all because of a made up doomsday scenario 50 years into the future is quite silly.

Switch cartridges won't even last that long themselves before they go haywire, just look at the reports of 3DS cartridges already acting kinda funky and it's been only 10 years lol

@bimmy-lee no physical, no buy.

Enthusiast circles like here won’t like it but the general audiences aren’t going to care

I cannot imagine letting GKC bother me as much as it does some of y’all. 🫩

@Solid_Python EXACTLY. Like I could be dead tomorrow. I just wanna play my stupid game.

@Solid_Python Only some titles with bad components. That's the whole story, all the other ones are just fine.

Let’s be honest: Everyone knows that the physical sales will hardly be affected by the decision for GKC.

The loud complaints here are the voices of a minority, and even some of them will eventually buy the games, digitally or with a GKC.

Well thats an easy pass then.

Huh? 😳 Wasn’t there a survey Nintendo released a few months back about Game Key Cards and player’s opinions about them? Preeeeety sure no one likes them.

Most Nintendo games are probably going to be unaffected, but Pokemon going forward may just go for GKCs.

I hope this isn't the case, but Pokemon hasn't exactly ensured the maximum quality possible these past few years (even if the game is still fun).

Another nothing burger, the game will sell great and I will be there day one enjoying the game.

Despite this, it will still sell, especially since it's Pokémon. We go through this song and dance every single time with this franchise.

Its the only pokemon game in years that I'm interested in but now it died...

Looked like an awful game to start with add key card and it’s definitely an avoid

And just like that this game is dead in the water. I will review bomb all Pokemon and Nintendo products going forward for this. Back to Xbox for me.

Key cards are like cocaine for discussion boards, everyone take a bump!

@MamaSymphonia If fans want to send a message, this would be the way to do it. No one buys it and Nintendo now knows that even Pokémon can't save the game key card.

It’s really a bad look. Makes them look incompetent.

That’s really concerning.
What’s most troubling is that users are turning on each other — exactly what corporations want. Post after post, it’s “lol, I don’t care about carts” versus the “boycott boys.”
It’s honestly just sad.

I understand the full digital mentality, how convenient it is but people with room temperature IQ and above know this will not end well.

Holy crap. Nintendo can go eff itself. Have completely turned on its consumer base.

@Zuljaras aw man, now that you mention it, I’d LOVE a turd with the Pokemon logo on it and would instantly buy one if they announce it

@Megas75 A lot of enthusiasts on here don't care either, it's a noisy minority.

I think the last physical Nintendo game I got was a 3DS game so doesn't bother me in the slightest

GKC. Well, another skip.

@Megas75 the problem is most of the general audience isn't going to know when they're buying it. Just seeing that the game is updating when they get it. But after awhile, and their memory fills up they'll know and turn on this too.

I couldn't give two f's about key cards, digital or physical. I just want to play the game and I will happily 😄

Omg and it's $90?!?!

Boycott Nintendo - do not spend a dime on their products this Holiday season.

@Pipulitoch It's amusing to me that you are concerned that users are turning on each other, then imply digital-only mentality has a low IQ 🤷‍♂️ You're maybe part of the problem

@kal_el_07241 I don't even like Pokémon, but I'm gonna buy this now to counteract your boycott.

That’s upsetting. I’ve appreciated how Nintendo has typically launched with physical releases across the Switch’s and Switch 2’s lifetime and I’d hate for this to break the trend. I don’t purchase too many physical games, and likely would not have bothered with Pokopia, but there’s alot of series around Nintendo that I do like and would like getting physically, including Kirby Air Riders next week. I hope this is a one-off thing and game compression & optimization gets better, because I’m really holding off on getting a microsd card or playing the data management game.

I find it lowkey hilarious how people freak out over gkcs. Never understood wanting to carry around $70+ tiny pieces of plastic for a portable console. I bet y'all want your phone apps physical too.

I really hope that this turns out to be a storm in a teacup with the video merely showing us a hypothetical Nintendo-published GKC, but surely Nintendo couldn't be so naive about how this would have been perceived.

Because if that is the case, then they should have just made up a dummy game. It would have been particularly hilarious if it had been Wario themed and that Nintendo had not-so-subtly thrown some shade at third parties for taking the cheap way out.

Do we think maybe the "sample" label is because of the art on the cartridge not being final? Or maybe they're just trying to tell us that Pokopia is just one example of a GKC as opposed to this being an exclusive process for this game.

@aurubaru
Sure, carrying a 0byte plastic is better.

It was nice knowing you, Gamefreak.

@Kyloctopus Yeah, the data management is a pain. I mean, first-world problems, but relatively speaking, it is a bit annoying.

@Alcea Right?! Boycott them all. Review bombing any and all Switch 2 games right now. Going back to Xbox for my physical games.

@Dang_69 Or they could just erase an older game on their memory card to make way for that new game. Not everyone keeps every single game on their memory storage.

@Folkloner No, that’s sending the message that we don’t care about physical games.

I knew from very beginning that game key cards are the superior format when it was revealed, the ultimate proof is that Nintendo itself is starting to use it atlast!

@Pipulitoch Full digital has benefits that Key Cards don't, though. Being able to launch multiple game without swapping carts, for example. Someone can be intelligent and pro-digital but very against Key Cards at the same time.

@UltimateOtaku91 this is not a nothing burger, if this doesn’t affect you fine, but don’t act like it’s not an issue to everyone else.

@liljmoore 4 main reasons what’s wrong with them:

• takes storage on your switch 2
• takes time to download
• you will need the card inserted
• two things that can break: the card or the server. When either of these two fails it will leave you without the ability to play the game.

Well that’s another game to scratch off my list. Never buying game key cards and done with digital games.

put the blame on gamefreak.

@MamaSymphonia Because of Greedy Nintendo's virtual cards, you do have to "swap cards" just to play digital now too. If your system is offline for more than a day, you cannot play any games you "own".

there some games worth getting even if their game key cards like the resident evil 7,8,and 9 bundle collection which im 100% getting.

@kal_el_07241 give us evidence if nintendo losing money if not then troll somewhere else.

@kal_el_07241

"Because of Greedy Nintendo's virtual cards, you do have to "swap cards" just to play digital now too."

Well in that case you can buy the digital version.

"If your system is offline for more than a day, you cannot play any games you "own"".

Is this true? I've not read about this. It says in the explainer video above that an internet connection is not required once the game is downloaded.

@Max_the_German Exactly, the masses will buy these GKC games and not bat an eyelid. The minority voicing their concern are physical collectors to which I understand their frustration but in 2025 physical collectors are rare and are getting rarer as we get closer to an all digital future on all platforms.

@WheresWaveRace Don't tell me what to buy please. Pokemon is swill water at best and this game looks worse than ACNH and Palworld. And those games cost so much less than whatever this game is. And it has locked content to digital distributions and Amazon purchases.

@WheresWaveRace that’s not true, it checks after a week or two and that’s only for subscription based game like NSO or the first time playing a pre order. You can play your digital games whenever you like.

@kal_el_07241 I wasn't meaning to tell you what to buy simply suggesting you can buy the digital version if you want the perks of the digital version. I've edited my post to reflect this

@WheresWaveRace There are no "perks" with digital games. Ever.

I wonder what the landscape is going to look like regarding Game Key Cards this time next year. My prediction is that its going to go the way of "code-in-a-box" and get mild groans of dissatisfaction and eye-rolls due to them just becoming another fact of life.

@Friendly Same goes for any Game on PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX Series AND PC. Luckily it's not for all games on Switch 2.

Also I think this is just a sample image for the video. It doesn't say anywhere that the game will actually be a GKC.

but they promised

This is very disappointing. This game I was really looking forward to and would’ve bought day one physical. Now even if I get it, it’d be digital and on a deep sale…which rarely happens with Nintendo.

Probably just used as a sample for the vid.

@WheresWaveRace @kal_el_07241 No it's not. Once downloaded the game is playable offline or online. Except for the games that are included with the NSO packs, those need to verify an active subscription once a week.

@ShadLink All of my games on PC are physical releases as they should be.

That's a shame... Personally, I'm no where near as bothered by GKCs as I know other people are, but I do still wish all the games were real physical titles,,,
Let's hope they only do this for smaller titles. If 3D Mario or something comes out on a GKC I'll be frustrated. (Though, I doubt they'd do that, given that DKB came out on a proper physical cart.)

I don't care what they do. If its a game I want I will get it. simple as that.

@ShadLink You can't counter my point and then throw up exceptions. Keep you system offline for a couple days and tell me how many games you can play that you own. ZA doesn't even work and that game just came out.

@kal_el_07241 I haven't seen a physical PC game for a decade. And even those were just discs with "Steaminstall.exe" and a CD key.

@kal_el_07241 For me not having to carry all my games around with me and not needing to swap out the game cards are big perks. Having said that I will always buy first party physical if available to support Nintendo's commitment to physical media. (The Pokemon Company can do one!).

@kal_el_07241 I've played Z-A offline for days. Works perfectly. Every time. I don't know what you are talking about. Also Z-A is not a GKC.

@ShadLink I'm starting to think @kal_el_07241 is just a somewhat clever troll.

The physical PC thing is what got me.

I guess this comes down to the fact that Nintendo isn't publishing it everywhere; it makes sense that PKK Company cuts a corner.

@kal_el_07241
There’s something really funny about boycotting Nintendo over GKC and then say you’re going to Xbox for physical when they’ve been having nothing on their discs for the longest time and pushing hard for digital only

Shame. I was starting to get interested. I don't even want the game digitally anymore

I buy all my games on the eShop. In this instance I bet the reason is that they can and will update it over time quite a lot, like most of these infinite surival-y craft-y type games, so it makes no sense to ship a version 1 on physical.

@OmnitronVariant If Nintendo has to keep updating the game after release, they shouldn't release it until the game is fully complete!! When will they stop with releasing unfinished games like Bananza and ZA? Way too much cut content.

@OmnitronVariant this is a really good point that I hadn't thought of.

@Megas75 To be fair, according to Does it play?, around 60% of Xbox physical games are complete on-disc. Microsoft themselves couldn't care in the slightest for physical media, hence why their games are mostly just download codes on discs, but at least most Xbox games that get physical releases do work without internet.

The problem with Xbox is, that a lot of games do not get physical releases on the platform. There are so many titles that get physical releases on PS5 and Switch, but not Xbox, since Series X owners are the only ones that can use discs. So if you want the best physical support around, you should get a PS5. At least Sony doesn't put download codes on their discs.

@ParrakerriRush Nintendo does not own Pokemon - they have a 33% share. Pokemon is owned by The Pokemon Company, which is a joint venture between Nintendo and 2 other companies.

For me, I was going to get it but now I'm not. I may get it one day digitally but only at a heavy discount (which it likely won't get).

@kal_el_07241 I agree with you, in that I prefer a one-and-done release, but the reality is that games of this type are a very good fit for something a lot of people enjoy: A service-type game which receives content over time both based on feedback and things like collabs which you can only do once your game proves itself as worth the effort.

Sometimes this works out well. I'm glad it's not free to play with micro transactions, at least.

@Krlozgod @Shadlink thanks for the response. I've recently got acquainted with the ignore button. Highly recommended.

love the fight going on in here of the boycotters and the people who literally will refuse to try and understand why people care and would rather just fight about it.

love it sooooo much.

@kal_el_07241 That's incorrect, and I can tell you from experience. The "virtual game card" thing just lets you know what games you have downloaded, and obviously you can't play games you haven't downloaded.

a insult twice first being a key card game second insult it being $70 dollar game..

The thing is this may be a "Pokemon" game. But it's a life sim spin off from Bandai-namco.

I could easily see keycard (Assuming it's true) as being something they insisted on before agreeing to develop it.

Nintendo even said before they didn't intend to do keycards with first party releases.

I admit I'm a little surprised that doesn't include this, but it's also somewhat understandable when you look at who else besides Nintendo is involved.

Game Key = Hard pass.

Sucks to see how anti-consumer they are becoming. It would have easily fitted on a card.

that killed it for me then and there. Even though I would have gotten it digital, I have done a great job of voting with my wallet this gen. All my switch 2 games have been true physical so far, I cannot and will not support this

@Willo567 stupidest take ever. The card will far outlast any digital storefront. There are carts 40+ years old that work just fine.

@kal_el_07241 so you stopped buying PC games 15 years ago? Weird flex

Get ready for Pokeymon to prove one again that they are the universal masters of mediocrity selling like crazy.

Is it also possible that this simply happened because of how the trailer came together? It probably was a Japanese production first (using Pokopia, which like you said is not a first party published game in Japan). Then for the translation they kept the same examples. They swapped the artwork for the western version, but it might still be the case that this isn't actually an example of a game-key card outside of Japan. I mean, they said they wouldn't.

@kal_el_07241 First, get your facts straight. Why are you on a Nintendo site hating on them? All physical carts work offline. I always keep my Switch 2 in airplane mode to save battery and it won't be connected for weeks sometimes. Take a break from trolling and do some research

I am hopeful that it's just Pokémon. They've seemed to have their own practices independent of Nintendo's for a while now, so I'm hoping the rest of Nintendo doesn't follow through.

Already struck me as a thing that I would not at all be into and I buy most games digitally anyway. Not interested in it but the game key card thing doesn't have any impact on why.

I’ll just remark on the “denying yourself an experience” defense of this. Some are talking about this game like it’s walking into the woods and seeing a waterfall, a free and accessible thing. It costs $70!!! Not even a budget title!

When someone is trying to pry $70 from us, you’d hope their presentation, delivery and everything else would be on point. Otherwise they’re just giving us reasons to second guess if it’s worth it. I am frequently on the fence about spending that much for a game, so this sure doesn’t help.

Stop being disappointed by The Pokémon Company, you should know what to expect by now.

Lol. Since it's a Pokémon game, it will sell million units anyway, sadly.

If it's going to be a GKC, why does it cost $70? Shouldn't it be cheaper? It's amazing how The Pokémon Company likes to rip people off.

I just found out that in Japan at least, the game is the same price as Mario Kart World. So the most expensive a Switch 2 game has been so far, and more expensive than Donkey Kong Bananza (without DLC).

Let THAT sink in. On top of it being a game key card, this feels like a big fat test of "let's see how far we can push our stupid gullible fans".

ha, of course it's pokemon.

so are switch 2 physicals sort of failed media? i'm thinking about the umd, i didn't have a psp, having a few draw backs. so far publishers don't want to spring for them, they'd load slower, and consumers don't like key cards.

@Yosher i wanna hope that's just the pokemon company being the pokemon company, cause i think even nintendo understands ~80 dollars for this game is silly.

edit: ...though it's still strange that it then converts to ~60 usd. weak yen shenanigans i guess.

@Chibi
You can the Pokemon Company is a 2nd party studio

@squiddu-real Well, just consider that they consider this the highest price a Switch 2 game can be, and games are usually cheaper than that. As far as I know it really is just Mario Kart World and now Pokopia who are this expensive. Not counting Switch 2 edition upgrades, but you can count those too.

@Yosher
So anyone who buys this game is stupid and gullible?

The fact that more people have voted for 'not interested in the game either way' than 'was going to get it but not anymore' is extremely funny to me.

Age of Imprisonment is 40GB thanks to all the video files. It makes a lot of sense to include that on a cartridge. 10GB on a 60GB card (that is expensive to produce) doesn't make a lot of sense. It's a lot easier to accept a relatively small download taking up your built-in storage or SD Express card than a large download that could have fit on a card.

Absolutely disgusting if this game is a key card.

@Willo567 No, I mean that it feels like the ones responsible for these decisions think that way.

All I personally say about people buying this game is that I think it's unfortunate that they're supporting these practices but still hope they have fun playing these games.

Apologies if I made it sound otherwise.

https://xcancel.com/Wario64/status/1988256441484939540#m

It's confirmed for Japan.

Makes no difference for me. I wasn't going to buy it anyway.

@Metazoxan It’s Koei Tecmo, not Bandai Namco.

I find all the complaints about GKC hilarious as with patches and updates practically all game cards are GKC they're all gonna be out dated if you bought them day 1

The people who are fine with key cards can go ahead and buy them. Some say it's a digital game you can sell, but that's not quite right. The benefits to a digital game is that you don't have to go to a retailer or order it online and wait for it to arrive, you can get it instantly AND you can play it conveniently from your system without changing cards. A key card has neither of these benefits. "But you can sell it/gift it/trade it!" yeah you could already do that with regular physical games and they didn't require GB of space. A key card has no function and no value.

@Friendly all those things listed happen on PS and MS consoles. But I don't hear them complaining

@dmcc0 yeah, you got a point.

@Markiemania95 ah. My bad, statement still stands but thanks for the correction.

@liljmoore @shadlink thats peak whataboutism.

Nintendo was a last defender of physical games. People like that stuff. Why arent they allowed to complain about what theyre going to miss?

Because all the reasons y'all listing are pointless and happens with every game. But y'all making a bigger deal outta it then what it needs to be cause reasons

@SuppressorSteve
Published by Nintendo in the west though, which is where I am.

@burndive the game is still $70, there is no justification on this being a GKC

I bet the same people getting bent out of shape about this will happily go to steam and download their digital game.

Seriously, you guys need to get over it. Digital is the future. Most games aren't even complete in box anymore and require at least SOME sort of download.

You're fighting a losing battle. Just accept it and move on.

Cuckcards need to disappear forever. 😡 😡 🔥

It’s 10 gigs what’s the logic. I get AAA releases with big file sizes but a game this small? No real reason.

@kmtrain83 In that case, you can also buy it on the eShop. No cart, just a download.

And it's what I am / have bneen doing for ALL Switch 2 games anyway, so..

@breach187 This. If I could hook up a 9tb hdd that cost me $80 it wouldn’t be a problem. But express cards are really pricey. I want to have as little data to download as possible.

@TerribleTerabytes some losing battles are worth fighting for. I don’t want to hear anyone dare complain about game prices when physical media no longer exists. Right now games still have a second hand market to compete with. When it’s all digital, companies will have complete control over pricing. If you think $70 games are too expensive. Just wait.

I'm all digital on Switch 2 so it's personally a non-issue. I'm not eagerly anticipating Pokopia but my wife is going to go mental for it.

I guess Pokémon is considered separate from the promise of no Nintendo GKCs due to its weird legal status as not being fully owned by Nintendo?

Game key card.... Again, even by using 1st party IP.
Disgusting. 😮‍💨

sigh

I doubt I was going to get the game anyway but this is the final nail in the coffin. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised Nintendo didn't just go all-out on GKCs from the start, considering it'll only have been 9 months between the switch 2 launch and pokopia releasing. Maybe it was to gradually ease us into the idea of them? As if we'll have eased up on them after 9 months and 4 non-GKC exclusives? Idk anymore, I'll probably go all-digital on switch 2 anyways.

@Ultimapunch Fear mongering at its finest. Game prices go up every other generation and gaming has always been an expensive luxury hobby. And comparatively, they're cheaper than they were in the SNES/N64 era.

Not sure why you brought up the secondhand market. They're just as bad, if not, worse since the games are used and are barely cheaper. And don't even get me started on the Retro Market. It's criminally overpriced.

And again, every game needs an update these dats so what you buy physically is NOT going to be the game you get 20 years down the line after the Switch 2 is long obsolete. Then you throw in things like DLC and it gets even more complicated. You don't just simply plug in a game and play anymore, it hasn't been that way since 2011 before the Wii U.

@TerribleTerabytes
I have far, far greater trust in Valve and my digital purchases there than I do in any console manufacturer. Besides, at the end of the day, the PC is an open platform — Steam’s DRM wouldn’t be a real problem to bypass if it ever came to that, and many games on Steam don’t even use any copy protection at all. And even then, if the absolute worst were to happen, I trust the community to ensure that everyone will still have access to the games they rightfully own.

And the second point is simply not true, even though it keeps being repeated in these kinds of discussions. The vast majority of software still runs without requiring any download whatsoever. https://www.doesitplay.org/

Does nobody else see the giant “SAMPLE” text that they’re not at all trying to hide that’s ONLY on the Pokopia stuff? It seems to me Nintendo just didn’t want to license a third party game to use as a key card example for a short video.

Doesn't change a thing. It's just digital that you are allowed to resell or trade.

The fact this is a move made first by Gamefreak doesn't really surprise me though.

Lol only took the bajillion dollar company half a year to rug pull on their consumer cattle. Classic.

And that's the one game shown so far that I might have bought a Switch 2 for. Not now.

@Oliver-1984 It sounds like you're just idolizing one corporation over another. Valve isn't your friend either y'know.

You can kick and scream as much as you want, gaming on consoles are going to be all digital eventually 😞

The highest investment in this poll is presently “I’m not interested either way”.

I’d wager TPC are betting the audience view this title in a similar light, and know this isn’t going to be a massive seller, hence the Game Key Card and lack of bothering to spend out.

And, to be perfectly frank - I actually thought this was just a random digital / mobile title that was coming to the Switch as a bonus anyway (like some of their prior mobile/console ports).

This??? This game??? Really?

@ParrakerriRush Yeah Pokémon is just different. It’s technically speaking not a first party game. It’s kind of a weird hybrid between first party and a third party exclusive. Also, the specifics of what they said specified that ‘Nintendo-developed’, which in this case wouldn’t be true even if they owned Pokémon outright.

@Zuljaras So you think Nintendo, the company that has seen so many things come and go in the world of gaming, is so incompetent that the concept of local installs completely eludes them? Are you genuinely not able to come up with any other explanation for why this situation is happening?

More to the general topic: When some of the GKC complainers in this thread are acting like the general concept of downloading games over this newfangled Internet thingy is weird and alien, it's a lot more difficult to sympathize with their cause. You can't go on about review bombing unrelated products and expect me to see that as righteous.

Glad to see the disdain towards game key cards. Absolutely not acceptable for Nintendo first party and second party games

This isn't setting a good precedent.
Nintendo at the end of the day are the publisher, why wasn't Pokémon Za a key card, or the latest Hyrule Warriors? They're outsourced games published by Nintendo.
One of the things about the Switch was not needing the internet. I bought it specifically for the Nintendo exclusives, I've only connected my Switch to the internet for an update once. That caused problems as I went to play a game I'd deleted by accident instead of the save data, and the game wouldn't play because the software version didn't match the save data anymore. I don't always have internet access as my job takes me places where sometimes there's no internet. Hence why I've never used or connected my Switch online since.
I was going to get a Switch 2 before Christmas, this puts a different perspective on getting one for the time being, what if I want to buy a game abroad, but can't play them once I've bought it, because the internet is either none existent or too slow.

Probably won't matter too much for this game specifically since it is rumored to be GAAS (i.e. there will be a lot of content updates that obviously require internet downloads) but it's still disappointing to see this game end Nintendo's streak of full game cartridge releases.

@PerfectFrost Codswallop as they say, just another lie to funnel us all into an all digital future.

I have absolutely no interest in the garbage that is modern Pokemon. And this boring "cozy" game isn't gonna change my mind.

But even if I don't care about this specific game, I don't like the precedent this sets. Since it's Pokemon, it's guaranteed to sell no matter what. Then Nintendo will see that and think, "huh, we were able to sell a GKC for $70 and we made so much more money, let's keep pushing the boundaries to see what we can get away with."

It's a classic case of slowly increasing the temperature of the water to boil a frog alive. We're going to see more GKCs going forward, not less. If they put the new Fire Emblem on a GKC, I'm officially done with Nintendo.

Lol. I told you guys this was going to happen

It's not a Nintendo made game.

I mean people willingly bought Scarlet/Violet knowing it was a beta test, many pokemon fans don't really care about quality anyways so why not make it cheaper?

Pokemon fans have it the worst out of any Nintendo franchise, now its always the lowest quality, cheapest, cash-grabbing games Nintendo has ever published.

@Bats1234 No matter what, you're still getting a degree of proper ownership, saving on storage, and if patches are really a turn-off for you, you can at least wait because many Switch games receive reprints where everything is on the cartridge. Game-Key Cards provide none of that.

I've been on road trips looking for very specific versions of physical media throughout the decades. Certain versions are better for specific speedrunning categories; certain games are censored in later releases. Game key cards kill that. You will play the version that they want you to play forever. This is disappointing.

A game like this should not be a GKC at all, it should fit on the whole cartridge itself.
I always knew this game looked off, and with the way Nintendo has behaved lately, I am sadly not surprised. They really want to kill the physical media entirely.

Unfortunately, I expect more Nintendo titles to be GKC's in the future. SAD.

I don't get it. What is the big deal? How is this not better than digital download, which everyone seems fine with when a game is released only that way? You can still sell it (unlike digital), you can still use it in different consoles, you can still use it without internet connection, and once it's on your switch you won't need internet to use it, so it won't disappear when they stop supporting the e shop. Is it just because after they stop supportimg the e shop you won't be able to download it anymore, so then you can't sell it? Again, still better than digital.

@TerribleTerabytes But I'll enjoy their sales and large number of indies on my Steam Deck (as well as emulation). Each to their own.

They can shove the key cards you know where.

First party key cards, what a disgrace. At this point I just hope they crash and burn, that the S2 is a total failure and they stop treating costumers like crap.

@UltimateOtaku91 It's not the "minority" voicing concerns at Game-Key Cards though- it's the majority of people!

@Bats1234 This is not the reason. The major difference is that you are their prisoner. The full game is on your console and you cannot play it without it the key. Meanwhile, you have all of this bloat on your storage and cannot access it. The Switch 2 already has limited storage and these games can take up a lot of space.

This is not an issue with digital. The full game is can be accessed at anytime. You just don't have a physical game case for your collection.

Game's with the full data on the cartridge save the console's limited storage, and you can show off your physical gaming collection to your friends.

With Game-Key-Cards as a "physical game", you're only showing off to your fellow inmates.

I swear, people who support GKCs have Stockholm syndrome.

I was somewhat on the fence about this game since one of my kids might enjoy it, but it’s an easy decision not to buy now. I’m a physical-first shopper and I avoid game key BS whenever possible.
Plug & play and take it with you without worrying about your “user license” or the internet or the publisher keeping their servers running - games like that are what I enjoy purchasing. Not digital or fake physical media with all these strings attached.

The all digital future will not be good. Is it inevitable? Almost certainly. But that does not mean it will be good. I bought the original Sonic 3 with the original music for my Genesis not long ago. 30 years after its initial release. That’s the beauty of physical media. I have first edition books by Edna Ferber that are literally over 100 years old. When physical media is gone for games, the industry will be much worse off. You will own nothing. You will pay whatever the game company says you will pay. And when servers and services are shut down you will not be able to go back and experience the games you love. I can play a 30 year old Sonic game exactly as it was at launch. I can read my 100+ year old books and read the same print and paper as World War One soldiers did in the trenches. Those are experiences that we are losing as things become more digital. Is it the reality of the situation that digital is the future? Yes. But you are delusional if you think it will be a good thing. It’s already not a good thing. And it will get worse as physical media continues to decline.

So they think it isn't worth my time either. We are rarely on the same page. Feels bad. Nintendo is awful now.

@SurprisedRobinChu "Prisoner" what on earth are you blabbering about, these are video games it's not that serious lmao

These comments are absolutely hilarious. Video games are digital it's not like you're playing a physical board game who gives a damn if you have a game that is "physical"

People need to chill out man, it's not that serious.

@QuincyBean It's so weird, if they announced this as a digital game only there wouldn't be as much uproar. Look at everyone flocking to digital only Silksong yet if it had a day 1 GKC release it would be hell on earth in the comments sections.

@Willo567 I don't buy game key card because I want plug and play and the second reason is because games take too much storage space. did you see the price of sd express it cost a lot and I have a 256gb on my switch 2. Preservation is a bonus. And pokopia is gkc and still 70€...it's a pass for me, if the game was 20€ I woudn't care about it being a gkc but it's not a 20€ digital title like good job or the strechers, it's a 70€ full game.

@Willo567 not in our lifetime

Looks like a game that should cost half the price, game keycard on top, no thanks.

@Willo567 Woah, you have blown our minds with your insight about how matter works

The only upside to GKCs is that you can resell them. That's it. GKCs are the worst elements of physical and digital games combined into 1 format. It's a shame even Nintendo is cheaping out on a Switch 2 "physical" release.

the game is 10 gigabytes, who cares. thats but a drop in the pan of the switch 2's internal storage.

@TheDragonDAFan It is unlikely that these servers which host the downloads will be around in a decade, making reselling of these game key cards worthless.

Just another pile of plastic scrap in the landfill.

@kal_el_07241 I have dozens of "virtual cards" on my Switch and Switch 2. I never have to swap out anything to play; stop straight up lying and people might actually take you seriously. And by all means, please tell me where you get physical PC games in 2025 that aren't just CD keys to download the game.

"If Nintendo has to keep updating the game after release, they shouldn't release it until the game is fully complete!!"
@kal_el_07241 Oh yes, Nintendo is absolutely the only one in the industry that does this. No other company releases a game then releases a billion DLCs for it or have to release patch after patch to fix a mountain of bugs. Nope, only Nintendo does this.

@Nintendofanatic994 You live in a bubble.

Nintendo is pulling a Microsoft. They have that gun pointed at their foot and they're ready to pull the trigger.

It's only 10 GB, so I do not understand that. I get it, GKC are around now, but this? I'm sorry, but no. Just no.

@ROOCIS Nobody was talking about what other companies do. Others doing the same, does not excuse anything.

If y'all want to boycott Game Key Cards but still want to play the game, you can just buy the card secon-hand on eBay for a discount later on. Just an idea, that's what I'm doing - not to send a message, but to save some cash vs digital.

@SurprisedRobinChu Nintendo has said that ALL 1st Party Nintendo-developed games will be on normal game cards, so that couldn't be further from the truth!

@Ultimapunch An all-digital future doesn't exist. Never has, never will!

@Jireland92 no. Publishers make these decisions.

@Zuljaras If Nintendo was hellbent on killing off physical media, it would have to be because of a last minute decision. I don't see any other explanation as to why DK Bananza wasn't a forced local installation.

@Bats1234 Two points:

1. Silksong was a $20 game. Pokopia is a $70 game. A $20 digital-only game is a much easier pill to swallow than a $70 digital-only game. If you're gonna charge AAA prices, then you damn well better make sure the data is on the physical cartridge.

2. The physical fans know that Silksong will eventually get a physical release, just like the original Hollow Knight. In fact, the hardcore collectors are happy that the physical release is later, that way you guys can beta test the game for us, and then we'll have a more polished version of the game preserved in physical form.

This was one of the more interesting upcoming S2 releases that could have made me consider buying the console. Now I don’t need to worry about it

That will surely hurt the sales.

I was borderline about getting it, but this makes the decision for me.

Also: nothing is inevitable for these companies if people actually vote with their wallets. If we don't want an all-digital future, then you need to not buy digital and GKC. Thousands of scattered people doing this won't make a difference, you need an actual movement of gamers to come together to not buy the digital stuff.

If this game would sell millions under their estimate, that would make quite the statement.

Thought the game looked promising in the direct, but this news pretty much kills it. I might get it digitally if it gets glowing reviews, but also I won't spend more than $30 on any single game from from the eshop, so it would also have to get a significant discount.

@Shepdawg1 this is my reaction to all this too. Can I play the game? Yes. So not bothered where the data is.

Yes GKC suck but it really isn't as serious as people are making out. How many Switch 1 games were people allowed to play straight from the cart on their new Switch 2? Most of mine told me I needed to update first...

key card = no buy from me, bub

GKC is better than digital-only. Why are people so up in arms about it? If you want to be angry at the root source of the issue, be angry at two things: Publishers releasing games which require major patches after release, and customers that want constant updates and additions to their games after launch, calling any game that isn't getting updated "dead". Because these two factors are what makes the entire calculation of a physical cartridge not worth it.

Physical media is sadly dying. I remember the excitement of calling stores to see if they had a game during the SNES era as that was the only way to play it and release dates weren’t really a thing.

Those days are over and unless there is some unexpected reversal in how games a published, everyone who is physical only should probably say goodbye to gaming as a hobby (new games) in the next 10 years.

Biggest crime, is that a game, with 2001 era Gamecube graphics, are sold at $70...
This should be a $30 budget title, at most.
Only Nintendo gets away with this *****...

They want $70 for a farming sim game that will absolutely fit on the 64GB cartridge 5 times over and can't even be bothered to put the game on it?? This is not only insanely greedy of Nintendo, but genuinely kind of unforgivable to me. I was interested initially, but after this, I wouldn't purchase or support this game even if it was provided for free.

Open the page, see the price, close the page lol

Testing the waters with a relatively small 10GB is smart of them. Installing the full game size without a MicroSDExpress will become painful very quickly, but consumers don't need to know that right now. If only Nintendo subsidized the cost of Express cards, then people would jump much more quickly onto the GKC/Digital bandwagon.

@PinderSchloss I'd be more willing to believe this if the guy I was replying to wasn't spewing blantant lies about virtual cards.

@Nintendofanatic994 Typical fanatic propaganda

Anybody who is talking against physical ownership has no idea what's coming in the future regarding digital identities and your entire life being digital. Physical media is a rebellion against all of that and to miss out on some superfluous DLC's or older multiplayer games in the future is worth the cost.

@PinderSchloss Except Nintendo very rarely pumps out DLC or ships out completely broken games. The only real exceptions to this appear to be the Pokémon franchise which Nintendo has very little to do with.

@OmnitronVariant If I want a physical copy of a game, I want a card with the game actually on it. If I want a digital copy, I will just download the game. I do not want some half-assed, Frankensteined format with none of the benefits of physical or digital, yet all of the downsides of both.

Eventually Nintendo themselves will follow suit at some point after this. This is just them using Koei Tecmo and Omega Force to test the toxic. If the toxic works then they will eventually pollute the industry with it and go all fake this gen and every gen in the future of this life time.

@TheDragonDAFan Then buy the digital version..? The GKC is to allow you to resell or share the game. It has added benefits, although I personally don't see the point and just buy digital, because practically every game requires patches these days, so even when there's a physical cartridge available, I no longer see the point.

@OmnitronVariant But I want a physical copy of the game with all of the data on the cartridge and GKCs are not that. Even if there are patches, they would not exceed the amount of data the actual game takes up. As long as the base game is playable offline without the need to connect to the internet, I would be satisfied.

@Megas75 Uh huh. And how big is the hard drive on an XBox? Is it cheaper or more expensive to expand your storage on XBox compared to buying MicroSD Express cards for Switch 2?

Wow, $70! I think all of the Game-Key Card games I've seen before this at least haven't gone above $60. In the goddamn US of A where digital games can apparently never ever be cheaper than their physical counterparts, I can see using a Game-Key Card in order to keep the price of the game down across the board. Now Nintendo themselves is publishing a $70 Game-Key Card game. What a scam.

First, I dispute it's Nintendo's first key card game when it's published by the Pokemon Company.

Second, a key card makes no difference to me. I'm happy to save the $20 to $30 local AUD for a game on key card. Potentially I might just buy from the eshop, meaning I save there, too, because physical and online prices are aligned.

Thank goodness for game key cards mocinf us slowly into a full digital only future. I for one cant wait, dont want those junky cases lying around. People have too much junk as it is. Im far less likely to play something off physical media than digital. Bring on the future

Game Key Card = hard pass! That includes digitally as well. I will NOT purchase this game period! Fk you Nintendo!

I could careless about keycards. Its that price tag that is the issue. They have the gal to charge $70 for this game lol.

@ParrakerriRush Doug Bowser said Nintendo "had no plans" to relase games on GKC "for now", he never said that all 1st-party releases will be on cart, it seems plans changed.