Pokémon Pokopia Is Seemingly Nintendo’s First Game-Key Card Release

Nintendo has unveiled a fresh trailer to outline how Switch 2 cartridges and Game-Key Cards function (just in case the prior six or seven months’ conversations haven’t already enlightened you).

In this, one of the instances highlighted to illustrate the Game-Key Card is none other than Pokémon Pokopia, which has recently been affirmed to debut on 5th March, 2026. The title is being orchestrated by The Pokémon Company in Japan and Nintendo in the West, marking this as the inaugural Game-Key Card release from the company.

Naturally, the illustrations presented in the trailer distinctly have a ‘SAMPLE’ watermark included, so there’s a possibility – albeit slight – that the game might have merely been conjured up to showcase Nintendo’s practices, but we believe otherwise. It’s far more plausible that the SAMPLE signifies placeholder art for the packaging and cartridge, though. We’ve reached out to Nintendo for absolute confirmation, but it appears evident that Pokopia is a complete Game-Key Card release.

The game is projected to occupy about 10GB, according to its listing on Nintendo’s site.

So, what implications does this have? Is this the inception of something larger? We can’t ascertain just yet. Nintendo has historically declared that it wouldn’t employ the medium for “Nintendo-developed titles”, but therein lies the intrigue… This isn’t a Nintendo-developed title – it’s Omega Force (Koei Tecmo). However, if that’s the case, why didn’t the KT-developed Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment also receive a Game-Key Card launch?

Many questions linger for now, and we’ll be certain to seek answers as we progress. But if you’re someone who is firmly opposed to Game-Key Cards, then you might wish to remove Pokémon Pokopia from your wish list.

What are your opinions on this? Will you still be acquiring Pokémon Pokopia, or has this announcement altered your view? Share your thoughts in the comments.