By No game-key card launches here
- by Liam Doolan
If you intend to purchase a physical third-party title for the Switch 2, one aspect you might want to verify is whether it is a standard game card or a game-key card. Game-key cards do not hold the complete data; rather, they serve as a key to download the full game.
Although numerous developers will opt to release their Switch 2 games on game-key cards, there will still be certain publishers providing the full title on the card, at least during the initial launch period of the system. Marvelous USA is among these publishers and has addressed “some confusion” regarding its titles for the Switch 2.
They have confirmed that their physical editions for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, and Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion in the West will all “feature the full game on the cartridge”.
Marvelous USA: “We’ve noticed some confusion surrounding our forthcoming #NintendoSwitch2 releases. The physical editions for Rune Factory, STORY OF SEASONS, and Daemon X Machina in the West will contain the full game on the cartridge. We hope this clarifies things.”
As previously noted, not every publisher will distribute their games in this manner on the Switch 2. Recent pre-order listings suggest a significant number of Sega games may be released as game-key cards.
The site Gematsu has also pointed out that Japan’s third-party lineup for Switch 2 appears to consist mostly of game-key card offerings. You can find additional details in our previous coverage here on Nintendo Life:
Will you be picking up any of these Marvelous titles to support “full” physical editions? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
[source bsky.app]
Liam is a news journalist and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. With over 15 years of writing experience about games, he’s a devoted admirer of Mario and Master Chief.