On Friday, retro and arcade game publisher ININ Games surprisingly announced that it has been able to “recalculate production” on offering a physical edition. R-Type Dimension III For the Switch 2 because “Two days ago Nintendo announced two new smaller cartridge sizes for the Nintendo Switch 2.” Physical play on the Switch 2 has been a controversial topic; Full physical games are reportedly expensive for developers, while game-key cards do not actually contain a game in the cart.
But later in the day, ININ removed that line from its post and published a significant correction: “There has been no official announcement or confirmation from Nintendo regarding cartridge storage capabilities. Any references to specific storage sizes should not be construed as official information from Nintendo.” However, it will still be able to offer a physical Switch 2 version R-Type Dimension IIIAlthough by compromising €10 on the retail price.
Nintendo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is difficult to find concrete information as to why more developers do not offer completely on-cartridge games, although this may reduce costs. In May, a Brazilian Nintendo journalist reported that, based on leaks from Arc System Works, Nintendo offered only two types of physical games for developers: a 64 GB cartridge and a game-key card. YouTube channel Physical Paradise also reported that a physical cartridge costs “approximately” $16, “which is quite expensive.”
Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmed, responding to ININ Games’ initial announcement about the new cartridge sizes, said on X that “Cost was always the primary factor between key card vs. full cart releases.”
It’s unclear how much more affordable the additional cartridge capacity size might be or why the company might offer them to developers now. New York University games professor Joost Van Drunen told me this could be due to the rising cost of memory; His two cents are that it’s “the cost of memory is expected to rise soon, allowing Nintendo to charge more reasonable prices, especially for third-party games.”
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