Nintendo survey seeks feedback on controversial game-key cards, physical and digital purchases

Nintendo has released a new survey designed to identify player preferences around different Switch 2 game purchasing options.

The survey asks whether players prefer buying games physically or digitally, and seeks feedback on Switch 2’s controversial game-key cards, which have proved unpopular with some consumers.

The only difference between a game-key card title and a digital download is that the former can be resold and will work on other Switch 2 systems, without the need for Virtual Game Card lending.

So far, the majority of third-party Switch 2 games are Game-Key Cards, with only a few exceptions, reportedly because only one size of card is available to developers: 64GB.

As spotted on Reddit, Nintendo’s survey asks respondents how many Switch titles they’ve bought in the past year, for themselves or for others as gifts.

Participants are then asked how many Switch games they have resold after playing.

The survey goes on to ask whether players prefer purchasing games in physical format or digitally, and what the main reasons are for their preference.

It then lists the various ways players can purchase Switch 2 games, including the game-key card system, which is described but not named as such.

For each method of purchasing Switch 2 games, players are asked how likely they would be to use it, from definitely to definitely not.

Game preservationists have come out against the game-key card system, calling it “disheartening.”

Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive Studios (which specialises in modern remasters of older, often out-of-print games) told GamesIndustry.biz that “seeing Nintendo do this is a little disheartening”, adding: “You would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously.”

Far Cry 4, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Revenge of the Savage Planet director Alex Hutchinson has also strongly criticized the game-key card system.