Update []: Earlier this week, we heard the rumour that Nintendo was working on smaller Switch 2 cartridges, potentially giving publishers a cheaper alternative to the current decision between expensive 64GB carts and Game-Key Cards. Well, an update from ININ Games reveals that the rumour may well be true!
In our earlier report (below), we mentioned that ININ had decided to go down the GKC route for the physical release of R-Type Dimensions III to avoid having to "significantly raise manufacturing costs". In a new blog post, the studio stated that "Two days ago Nintendo announced two new smaller cartridge sizes for Nintendo Switch 2", so a full physical release is back on the menu.
"The entire European and US production of R-Type Dimensions III for Nintendo Switch 2 will be released on a full physical cartridge," the blog post continued, though all retail and special edition prices will increase by 10€ to account for the "still higher production costs". This price bump will not apply to all those who nabbed a special edition in the early pre-order phase.
The post concludes with a message of thanks to all the physical enthusiasts out there:
We’d like to sincerely thank the community for the passionate discussion, the feedback, and the patience over the past days. Your enthusiasm for physical games and for R-Type in particular made this solution possible, and we’re very happy to be able to deliver a true cartridge release.
We'll have to wait and see how many other publishers decide to utilise the smaller Switch 2 cartridges in the future, but hey, at least a cheaper Game-Key Card alternative is on the table now.
Original Story: Game-Key Cards have been perhaps the hottest topic of the Switch 2's lifecycle so far. Outside of particularly large releases, the running theory is that many studios are turning to a Game-Key physical release because Nintendo has failed to offer small/cheap options for those who don't want to cough up for the big 64GB cartridges. But that might be about to change.
A rumour making the rounds online today states that Nintendo will soon introduce 16 and 32GB cartridge options, so smaller devs hoping to launch a physical release won't have to turn to Key Cards as the only financially viable way of making it happen.
That is according to both the game preservation community Does It Play and Physical Paradise on Twitter, the latter of which claims to have been informed of the introduction by two separate sources.
@Nintendeal also claimed to have heard the same information, though it pointed out that increasing material costs and chip shortages mean there's no guarantee that more cart size options will directly affect pricing.
Earlier this year, Ubisoft employee Rob Bantin explained that Star Wars Outlaws had launched on Switch 2 as a GKC, not because of a cost issue, but because the S2 carts "simply didn’t give the performance we needed at the quality target we were going for". To be clear, different cart sizes would do nothing to mend this issue, but they would provide an alternative for smaller games that are less reliant on speedy asset streaming.
Of course, it is nothing more than a rumour for the time being, so make sure to take things with a hefty pinch of salt.
Something that isn't rumoured, however, is the physical launch of R-Type Dimensions III, which ININ Games has today announced will be arriving as a Game-Key Card since "switching entirely to cartridges would significantly raise manufacturing costs and increase the retail price by at least 15€".
"To avoid this, we chose to release the game on a key card while continuing to explore alternative solutions for the Special and Collector’s Edition," the publisher wrote in an explanation post on Twitter. "There is still hope for a real cartridge, and we are trying everything."
It remains to be seen whether more cart sizes from Nintendo will actually impact the number of Game-Keys on the market, or whether studios will continue to stick firmly to the download option. We'll be keeping an eye out for more developments in this particular rumour, and will update you should we hear anything.