Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth co-director Naoki Hamaguchi doesn't think Nintendo is backing down from the controversial Switch 2 game keys—in fact, he thinks the company is about to double down on them.
I'm talking to Wccftech (by using Stealth), Naoki Hamaguchi went against the grain again and directly defended Switch 2's key cards. having previously stated that they “allow us to do things we might not otherwise do” while acknowledging that he understands where the controversy comes from.
Hamaguchi has repeatedly emphasized the benefits of game keys for developers who would otherwise have to work within the limitations of the Switch 2's physical cartridges.
“Personally, I believe that the game cartridge loading speed issue has more to do with the hardware characteristics of the Nintendo Switch 2,” Hamaguchi said. “I'm not from Nintendo, so I can't talk about that side. However, I feel that the Game Key Card format that Nintendo created for Nintendo Switch 2 is a truly amazing new idea that they brought to us.”
Game key cards are understandably controversial, especially among physical preservation communities. If you don't have a physical cartridge to download a game, you're essentially at Nintendo's mercy, and while there's no reason to suspect they'll start pulling games from digital libraries willy-nilly, the implications for long-term storage aren't ideal. However, Hamaguchi thinks people should get used to the idea of game key cards.
“Personally, I don't see Nintendo working to improve cartridge loading speed,” he said. “Rather, I feel like Nintendo will put more effort into popularizing the Game Key Card format, which again is a really fantastic idea for us developers.
“In addition, we hope that the players themselves will understand what it costs them. Obviously, we can also help developers with this. I think a combined effort between Nintendo and publishers trying to promote the Game Key Card will be the best path forward for all gamers in the future.”
The excellent 2020 remake of Final Fantasy 7 will be released on Switch 2 in 2026.with Rebirth, and then with the third part of the series. No wonder, the remake will come in physical boxes in the form of a game key card, requiring a whopping 90GB of hard drive space..
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