Final Fantasy 7 Remake dev talks Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards and why they’re necessary

Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the Final Fantasy Remake series, has weighed in on game-key cards for Nintendo Switch 2.

Game-key cards have drawn the ire of collectors since they were revealed. Fans don’t like the fact that you’re basically getting a blank cartridge, requiring the full title to be downloaded. However, Hamaguchi has now offered a different opinion.

Speaking in a recent interview, Hamaguchi pointed to speed limitations being an issue with typical cartridges. This is less of a problem when a game is working on Nintendo Switch 2’s internal storage. Hamaguchi understands the negative reaction, but noted how “we could miss opportunities if we didn’t have that option, because there might be people who wouldn’t be able to play the game otherwise.”

Hamaguchi stated in an interview with JP Games:

“Yes, I’ve heard the reactions of various Nintendo players to the game-key cards. I certainly understand their perspective. I can understand what might bother them, why they might not like them, and I really do. But among developers, the discussion about the format might be a little different than fans might expect.

Perhaps the biggest issue for developers is, certainly for people like us who are developing high-end HD games, is the loading speed, because if you compare that to an [SSD] drive and the speed you get from that when loading, it’s inferior. So that’s really the bigger problem when it comes to developing games, high-end games for the Switch 2, and what’s possible with it.

This is just my personal opinion, but I would like it if Nintendo fans understood the key cards and perhaps accepted them as part of the gaming culture on the Switch because they offer more possibilities. It’s an option that not everyone needs to use, but it’s another way to make the games available to fans, and I think we could miss opportunities if we didn’t have that option, because there might be people who wouldn’t be able to play the game otherwise.

I really understand why people are negative about it, and there are good reasons and arguments for it. But if people are more accepting of it, I think there are also advantages, and from a developer’s perspective, it allows us to do things we might not otherwise do.”

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one Nintendo Switch 2 game that truly needs a game-key card. Its file size exceeds the 64GB cartridge limit, so there isn’t really any other option.

You can find a list of all game-key cards on Nintendo Switch 2 here.