Remember when physical game cartridges were the norm? Well, it seems the Nintendo Switch 2 community hasn’t forgotten! Cyberpunk 2077’s launch on the new console proved that players still have a strong preference for tangible media. Could this signal a shift back from digital-only releases?

CD Projekt Red’s strategic decision to launch Cyberpunk 2077 on the Nintendo Switch 2 with a tangible game cartridge has yielded significant success, starkly highlighting a strong consumer preference for physical media within the modern gaming community and potentially influencing future distribution models.

Earlier this year, the announcement of Cyberpunk 2077 as a launch title for the highly anticipated Switch 2 generated considerable excitement. Adding to this, CD Projekt Red confirmed that they would offer a traditional physical game cartridge containing the full game, a move that distinguished them from many contemporary publishers.

This approach contrasted sharply with the prevailing trend among other third-party studios, which largely favored ‘key cards’ for their Switch 2 releases. These key cards, in essence, are merely download tokens for the Nintendo eShop, providing no actual game data and representing a pivot towards an entirely digital acquisition experience.

The latest reports from CD Projekt Red underscore the wisdom of their decision. An impressive statistic reveals that over 75 percent of Cyberpunk 2077’s Nintendo Switch 2 sales in June were attributed to these physical copies, definitively demonstrating a robust market for physical gaming industry products.

While specific sales figures for Cyberpunk 2077’s performance on the new console are not yet public, earlier reports in June indicated that the title achieved “reasonable numbers.” This strong showing reaffirms the viability and continued appeal of physical games in an era increasingly dominated by digital storefronts, especially for high-profile releases.

Jan Rosner, CD Projekt’s VP of business development, had previously articulated the studio’s rationale, stating that delivering Cyberpunk 2077 as a “cartridge with a plug and play experience” was fundamentally “the right thing to do.” His foresight recognized the enduring importance of physical media to Nintendo’s dedicated player base, a sentiment now validated by the robust video game sales data.

CD Projekt Red is not alone in bucking the ‘key card’ trend. Other notable studios have also recently opted for traditional physical releases, suggesting a broader industry re-evaluation or a sustained consumer segment that values the tangible aspects of game ownership. This collectively indicates a nuanced market for console gaming industry releases.

The remarkable performance of Cyberpunk 2077’s physical games on the Nintendo Switch 2 carries significant implications for future game distribution strategies. Publishers may need to reconsider their complete reliance on digital-only models, acknowledging the powerful and sustained consumer demand for physical media, particularly for flagship titles and major console launches within the dynamic gaming industry landscape.