Nintendo does not plan to stop releasing physical versions of games
This was stated by Bill van Zyll, the General Manager for Nintendo's Latin American division, during an interview with Coelho no Japão.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
According to him, when choosing a strategy, Nintendo primarily focuses on customer preferences. And since cartridges are still in demand, the company sees no need to abandon them.
“We know how much our fans love physical versions of games, so our position should be neutral,” added van Zyll.
Nintendo currently has two types of cartridges. Some contain the entire game distribution, while others only include a key to activate the game download from the Nintendo eShop. Although key cartridges attracted a lot of criticism when they first appeared, the company has repeatedly tried to defend them. Specifically, they explained that this allows them to sell in retail games whose size is too large for standard cartridges. In any case, both types are formally considered physical editions.
According to Nintendo’s financial reports, it is known that as of 2026, physical game versions generate 45.5% of their game sales. This is significantly higher than other major publishers. For example, Sony, which will stop releasing discs for PlayStation in 2028, has a share of only 22%.