Nintendo has no current plans to stop releasing physical games, according to Bill van Zyll, the company’s vice president and general manager for Latin America. His comments offer reassurance to collectors and players who prefer buying physical copies, even as the gaming industry continues shifting toward digital distribution.
Speaking with Brazilian interviewer Rodrigo Coelho at Brasil Game Show 2026, van Zyll said Nintendo considers consumer preferences when deciding how to distribute its games. “There’s no plans to ditch physical,” he said, adding that the company recognizes how much fans value the format. His remarks were reported by Nintendo Everything. Van Zyll pointed to the Nintendo Switch 2 as an example of Nintendo’s current approach. The console supports both digital purchases and physical game cards, giving players a choice between downloading titles and buying boxed releases. He described Nintendo’s position as “agnostic,” emphasizing that the company pays close attention to consumer preferences rather than committing permanently to one format.
That qualification matters. Van Zyll’s statement describes Nintendo’s current plans; it is not a guarantee that physical releases will continue indefinitely or remain unchanged across future console generations. The distinction between physical formats also matters for Switch 2 owners. As explained in Nintendo’s official Game-Key Card guide, some physical releases use Game-Key Cards that do not contain the full game data. Players must download the game over the internet and keep the card inserted to play. Standard game cards, by contrast, contain game data on the card itself.
Consequently, Nintendo’s continued support for physical products does not mean every boxed release offers the same benefits to collectors, players with limited internet access or those who want to preserve games without relying on downloads. Nintendo’s position also contrasts with Sony’s announced plans to end disc production for new PlayStation games beginning in January 2028. Sony’s official announcement specifies that the change applies to new games released from that date; it does not immediately eliminate physical copies of games released before then.
For Nintendo, the immediate message is straightforward: physical games remain part of its distribution strategy, and the company says it understands their importance to fans. But van Zyll’s emphasis on consumer preference leaves room for that strategy to evolve as buying habits and production costs change. For now, Nintendo has said it has no plans to abandon physical releases. Whether that remains true over the longer term will depend on decisions the company has not yet announced.
