Nintendo VP Says Company Won't Abandon Physical Games
Bill van Zyll said Nintendo remains agnostic on physical media and pointed to the Switch 2, which plays both physical and digital games.
Nintendo vice president and general manager for Latin America Bill van Zyll said the company has no plans to ditch physical games, according to gamesradar.com. Van Zyll said Nintendo's position on physical media is to be agnostic and go off what the consumer prefers.
He cited the recently launched Switch 2 platform, which can play both physical and digital games, and said Nintendo knows how much fans like physical media.
The comments follow backlash over Sony's decision to end disc production for new PlayStation games.
In 2025, Nintendo introduced Game Key Cards, physical cartridges that allow you to download a game while not holding any of its data, causing preservation concerns. Also in 2025, Rockstar Games decided to ship GTA 6 exclusively as a code-in-box release, and shortly after, Sony announced it is killing off discs for new PlayStation games in 2028.
Every Nintendo first-party release except for Pokemon Pokopia and the upcoming Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Definitive Edition have been actual physical releases instead of Game Key Cards. Marvel's Wolverine launch sales were reportedly 35% physical.
Quick answers
Will Nintendo stop making physical games?
Bill van Zyll said Nintendo has no plans to abandon physical games and remains agnostic, going off what the consumer prefers.
What did Nintendo say about the Switch 2 and physical media?
Van Zyll cited the Switch 2, which can play both physical and digital games, and said Nintendo knows how much fans like physical media.
What prompted the discussion about physical games?
The comments follow backlash over Sony's decision to end disc production for new PlayStation games.