Feature: Limited Run Talks Switch 2 Game-Key Cards, Huge Carts & Difficult Pitches
By Raidou Remastered CE isn’t a conventional, numbered Limited Run Games offering, yet we were still taken aback to discover that the Switch 2 Collector’s Edition being offered has a price tag of an astounding $249.99 USD and lacks a complete game on a cartridge.
This edition comes with a Switch 2 Game-Key Card, which necessitates that the buyer connect to the internet and download the entire game onto their console. This seems to contradict the ‘Forever Physical’ mantra of LRG.
Reports from PAX indicated that Limited Run’s numbered editions would remain “true physical” releases. To seek further clarity and address a few other questions, we reached out to Josh Fairhurst, CEO of Limited Run Games, via email to clarify the cloudy Game-Key scenario and to examine how the current economic situation is influencing physical game publishing.
Nintendo Life: Limited Run Games has encountered several missteps throughout the years, yet we’ve consistently admired the dedication the team demonstrates in ensuring the finest version of a game is provided on the cartridge or disc. Was there a chance of delivering RAIDOU Remastered fully on a Switch 2 cartridge? If so, what led you and SEGA to opt for the Game-Key route?
Josh Fairhurst, CEO of Limited Run Games: When our involvement in a title is confined to a Collector’s Edition exclusively, as it was for titles like Dead Space and Alan Wake II, we procure the standard edition games that go into those Collector’s Editions directly from our partner or their distributor. Unless specified otherwise, these standard editions will consistently match their retail versions. We don’t play any role in the actual production of those pieces – they simply arrive at our warehouse when they’re prepared. We’re essentially no different than a retailer in these situations.
When we provide a Collector’s Edition for a game, we aim to offer that edition across all available platforms. If we decided to leave out a platform for any reason, customers seeking it there would be disappointed about the absence of that option. Fortunately, this ensures we’re always presenting a mix of platforms, so if the distribution format for one platform does not meet your expectations, alternative options are available.
What will happen with Limited Run numbered editions for Switch 2? Is there a possibility you might release Game-Key cartridges in this format too? Is there any chance of seeing Switch 2 cartridges from Limited Run that are also compatible with Switch 1, similar to how Marvelous is managing their forthcoming release of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma?
If Limited Run is producing the standard edition Switch 2 title, it will invariably use a genuine cartridge. We have no intentions of endorsing the Game-Key Card format on titles where we are the manufacturer and publisher.
Regarding dual Switch and Switch 2 releases: yes, you can anticipate this with some of our offerings. I’m not aware of all the technical specifics that are necessary to make this feasible, so I can’t guarantee it will always occur, but purely from a commercial standpoint, it is more logical than fragmenting customers between separate Switch and Switch 2 releases.
Can you provide insights into why numerous publishers are selecting the Game-Key approach? We’d assume it’s cost-related, but are there other elements you can help clarify?
I don’t believe it’s solely about cost. Launching a game at retail demands an extremely lengthy preparation period. This means games need to be completed and approved by platform holders three to four months in advance of their intended retail release date. This is an enormous amount of time that publishers often lack, which is what typically results in retail releases featuring early builds that require substantial day one patches to be functional. Games nowadays frequently ‘come in hot’, so the privilege of a three to four-month lead time for retail is almost nonexistent. Game-Key Cards offer publishers a method to prepare a retail product with the necessary lead times while still permitting them the chance for the game to ‘come in hot’.
Do you have any intentions regarding proper, on-the-cart physical releases for any titles that publishers have previously announced as a Game-Key Card offering?
This is something we are investigating and something I wish to pursue, but it’s been an unexpectedly challenging proposition thus far. To demonstrate why: there are a few notable titles that have primarily seen digital retail releases on the original Switch, and I attempted to propose genuine physical releases for them. Unfortunately, there was a concern that any new release might complicate the movement of the older, existing retail stock. I’ve faced the same dilemma here. That doesn’t imply I won’t keep trying, though! I’m confident some partners will be receptive.
Presumably, you’ll have to charge
more for titles arriving on larger-capacity Switch 2 cartridges. Can you provide enthusiasts with a rough estimate of what a 64GB Switch 2 game from Limited Run may retail for?
I’m not certain how many individuals realize this, but we’re among only a few publishers that ever bothered to utilize a 32GB cartridge on the original Switch. Those were REALLY costly. I can’t delve into details here, apart from stating that there’s a reason most publishers couldn’t manage to use them. Those releases — Alien: Isolation and DOOM Eternal — genuinely weren’t outside the boundaries of our typical pricing structure compared to both games’ digital price points, despite the outrageous cost of their cartridges. Based on our experiences with those titles, I wouldn’t anticipate us straying too far from our usual pricing strategies even if the cartridges carry higher expenses.
With the current tariff unpredictability creating significant challenges for any publisher functioning in the US, how significantly is it affecting Limited Run’s operations?
Not substantially, truthfully, apart from making it incredibly challenging to predict. Everything is shifting so swiftly that nothing has truly had a chance to visibly impact us.
Do you anticipate any possible product cancellations or postponements due to tariff variations?
Cancellations: definitely not. Postponements: it’s hard to determine because the tariffs have mostly led manufacturers to withhold their products in China. This results in an accumulation of goods waiting to exit the country. Similar to the circumstances faced during the pandemic, this implies it may be difficult to secure shipping containers out of the country while everyone is racing to take advantage of the 90-day delay on tariffs.
Fortunately, we didn’t stop our deliveries during this period and have kept receiving shipments over the last six weeks. I just can’t definitively assert that the situation won’t impact us in some manner because it’s a very intricate global issue involving forces beyond our control.
Finally, can you verify for us what a Switch 2 cartridge tastes like?
Fortunately, I’ve heard it possesses the same delightful flavor as the original Switch cartridge. I was personally hoping that with the red cartridge, there might be a hint of cherry incorporated into the bitterant.
Our gratitude to Josh for dedicating time to respond to our inquiries.