Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director: Game-Key Cards are “part of a larger trend that we can’t avoid”

Probably the most controversial thing in gamers minds with the Nintendo Switch 2 is those pesky Game-Key Cards which are gaining in popularity with companies that pump out AAA games. We’ve already heard that they allow the games assets to load quicker than traditional cartridges, hence why they are a popular choice with graphically intensive games. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director has chimed into the discussion with his own thoughts on the subject of physical media on Nintendo Switch 2 and Game-Key Cards.

“I do understand why there are a number of people out there who maybe don’t like this new format, and I get the reasons why they don’t like it.”

“I think it’s, in some ways, part of a larger trend that we can’t avoid,” citing physical media becoming “less and less part of the industry”, with digital becoming more prevalent on PlayStation, Xbox, and physical PC games being all but extinct. However, he acknowledges that “the user, the fans, the customers on Switch 2 very much value what’s good about physical media. So, for that platform in particular, it’s going to be an even slower change.”

Tthe trend is going towards digital. But within that, where the key card falls into that – I understand why a lot of people don’t like this and maybe want to push back against it. But from a creator’s perspective, I kind of think it gives us opportunities to put some games on Switch 2.” He also echoes the perspective of the Star Wars Outlaws developer, saying “There are some especially high-end, real high-quality games that require a lot of memory that we probably couldn’t put on it without this – as a physical version, without the key card.”