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The Switch 2 has been a huge success for Nintendo, but third-party publishers still aren't feeling the benefit
Fans may not be warm to the idea of the Game-Key Cards, which hide a digital game in the guise of a physical one
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In case it isn’t obvious, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a huge success for Nintendo, who report that it is their fastest-selling console of all time. However, that success hasn’t translated into game sales. Sure, Mario Kart World is a great game that is going to eat a lot of our time once we get to play it, but it looks like third-party games are struggling to find their footing on the console – and it may be because of the Game-Key Cards these games are loaded on.
There is some data to pour over here, which has been helpfully collated and presented by The Game Business. Here is what it looks like; so far, around 86% of all physical game sales for the Switch 2 were from first-party games (thank you, Mario Kart World). This is in line with the Switch 1 at launch, but that is likely because there were more physical games at launch for the Switch 2 (13) compared to the Switch (5).
The report cites one unnamed third-party publisher as saying that sales were below their lowest projections. While no one openly blames the Game-Key Card situation – where Nintendo is selling a physical game that only unlocks the digital version of the game instead of containing the game itself – it is telling that the best-selling third-party game on the Switch 2 is CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077, which isn’t a Game-Key Card physical release. It has the whole game on the cartridge, which could be a selling point for fans.
It is too early to know how this will impact the Switch 2 in the long term. Most people will buy a Nintendo console to play Nintendo games and the fact that Mario Kart World has been so well-received is going to skew the data slightly. However, with more than 3.5 million Switch 2s sold in the first week, low sales for third-party games will be an issue Nintendo will want to address. If fan reaction to Game-Key Cards is to blame, we wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see as many of them in the future.
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