The Reason Behind Switch 2 'Game Key Cards' Explains Final Fantasy VII Director
Square Enix prepared for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, for Nintendo Switch 2, with a Game Key Card holding a physical box for download code. The Director Naoki Hamaguchi responded to the fans who criticized this aspect of physical media in a recent interview. In a developer's sense, he said that much of the decision was made more by cartridge loading speeds than just the storage condition.
Understanding Fan Concerns While Highlighting a Developer Problem
Hamaguchi began by acknowledging the fan perspective.
"I've heard the reactions... I understand their perspective, of course," he stated, empathizing with why gamers might dislike the code-in-a-box approach.
But he made it clear that the discussion within the developers is different from what fans might expect.
While the nearly 100GB size of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade makes a cartridge release difficult due to storage limitations, Hamaguchi identified a more significant technical hurdle for developers of high-end HD games.
"The biggest problem for developers... is the loading speed," Hamaguchi explained. "When you compare it with a [SSD] drive and the speed you get when loading from it, it falls short."
Cartridge Speed Vs Internal SSD Performance
This is the issue of speed difference between an internal solid-state drive and that of the cartridge. For a graphically intensive game such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, relying completely on a cartridge would be detrimental to player satisfaction through performance and extended loading times.
Using a Game Key Card allows direct download of the game to the Switch 2's internal SSD, allowing the developers to use this faster drive for a better and smoother game experience, and more comparable to what is possible on other high-end platforms.
According to Hamaguchi,
"By doing a semi-download version of the game, you can then use the SSD and rely on that for that smoother loading... this might be the bigger problem for developers."
A Hope for Acceptance and New Opportunities
Hamaguchi also personally hoped that fans might learn to accept Game Key Cards as part of the gaming culture of the Switch 2 and regarded them as another option that opens more doors for them, saying:
This is the method by which developers can "bring more high-end experiences to Switch players" that would otherwise not be feasible due to the technical limitations of cartridges. He believes that without this option, "we could miss opportunities," and some gamers "wouldn't get to play the game."
While he did reiterate having an understanding of arguments against the format, he concluded that from a developer perspective, "it does let us do things that maybe we wouldn't otherwise".
