As controversy surrounding Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards continues, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has doubled down on his own sentiments regarding the issue. Since it was confirmed by Nintendo in April that Switch 2 game cartridges would function as a sort of physical “token” to access the digital download of its games, fans, collectors, game preservationists, and media have expressed concerns about the long-term ownership of games and the increasingly transparent line between physical and digital media. Now, the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director has once again stoked that fire with his own words.
In a recent interview with Wccftech, Hamaguchi openly supported the idea of Switch 2 cartridges that contain only the license key needed to download a game. This isn’t the first time the director has defended the controversial game-key cards, but his support of them is even more relevant now with the first entry of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy making its way to the Nintendo Switch 2 in January.
FF7 Rebirth’s Naoki Hamaguchi Thinks the Switch 2 Game-Key Card Is a “Really Amazing Idea”
As someone on the inside of game development, unlike those scrutinizing the Switch 2’s game-key cards from the outside looking in, Hamaguchi has a pragmatic perspective on the issue that most players might never see. This is precisely what came out as he spoke with Wccftech at this year’s Tokyo Game Show about the Switch 2 release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
When asked about whether he sees Nintendo eventually increasing the speed on Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges to accommodate large games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Hamaguchi chalked that up to the hardware of the console itself. Following that, he added emphatic support of the game-key card concept by saying, “I do feel that the game-key card format that Nintendo created for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a really amazing new idea that they had offered for us.”
Much of his support for the idea, as Wccftech’s aforementioned question implies, is rooted in an opinion he expressed during a different interview with JP Games in September. According to Hamaguchi, “From a developer’s perspective, [game-key cards] allow us to bring more high-end experiences to Switch players,” thanks to their “semi-download” nature and the smoother loading that results from it. That being said, he has also acknowledged the concerns many fans have about game-key cards, noting “there are good reasons and debates to have there.”
- Released
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February 29, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
