{"id":51961,"date":"2025-09-13T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=51961"},"modified":"2025-09-12T17:41:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T08:41:44","slug":"nintendos-game-key-cards-and-pricing-are-not-about-greed-ex-capcom-dev-argues-they-are-acting-to-protect-the-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/nintendos-game-key-cards-and-pricing-are-not-about-greed-ex-capcom-dev-argues-they-are-acting-to-protect-the-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Nintendo\u2019s Game-Key Cards and pricing are not about greed, ex-Capcom dev argues. \u201cThey are acting to protect the industry\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Switch 2\u2019s Game-Key Cards<\/strong>, which store a digital license for downloading a game instead of the software itself, have been the target of much criticism ever since Nintendo first announced them. With consumers feeling more strongly about the need for physical media and game preservation than ever, it doesn\u2019t come as a surprise that recent decisions by Nintendo have been controversial. However, composer and former Capcom developer Masakazu Sugimori recently stood in Nintendo\u2019s defense, suggesting that a lot of what the company is doing is in fact meant to \u201cprotect the game and digital entertainment industries as a whole.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an X post from September 9<\/a>, Sugimori says that one point of criticism he\u00a0considers legitimate when it comes to Game-Key Cards is they can ultimately lead to a game you rightfully purchased becoming unplayable at the publisher\u2019s discretion. At the same time, he flips the argument over, commenting, \u201cBut can non-digital goods be used forever? For the most part, no. Physical things have a lifespan, and they eventually break. Digital goods, on the other hand, don\u2019t have a lifespan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Switch<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This lack of a natural lifespan is, in Sugimori\u2019s opinion, a key factor behind what Nintendo is doing. He offers a breakdown of his reasoning for the company\u2019s recent decisions, including key cards and price hikes (i.e. Mario Kart World\u2019s controversial $80 USD price tag). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key cards: Preventing piracy, reducing the risk of carrying unsold stock\u00a0

Raising game prices:\u00a0<\/strong>Amidst rising costs, Nintendo took the lead in raising prices so other struggling game companies could follow\u00a0

Cutting online services for past hardware: This sets a \u2018lifespan.\u2019 By doing this, it becomes easier for each game company to re-release their games on new hardware. In other words, it creates the job of \u201cporting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While acknowledging that his interpretation may be a bit idealistic, Sugimori is, in principle, sympathetic to Nintendo. He considers it very unlikely that Nintendo is acting out of greed, given the company\u2019s \u201cinsane\u201d cash reserves. Instead, he suggests Nintendo is, in its own way, acting to protect the games industry. \u201cWith Nintendo taking the lead, it becomes easier for other companies to follow suit and protect themselves, that\u2019s a fact.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related article: Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards not eligible for preservation by Japan\u2019s National Diet Library, officials say\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Composer and former Capcom developer Masakazu Sugimori offers views on Nintendo’s recent controversial decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":48601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[33],"class_list":["post-51961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-nintendo"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nNintendo\u2019s Game-Key Cards and pricing are not about greed, ex-Capcom dev argues. \u201cThey are acting to protect the industry\u201d\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Composer and former Capcom developer Masakazu Sugimori offers views on Nintendo's recent controversial decisions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/nintendos-game-key-cards-and-pricing-are-not-about-greed-ex-capcom-dev-argues-they-are-acting-to-protect-the-industry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nintendo\u2019s Game-Key Cards and pricing are not about greed, ex-Capcom dev argues. \u201cThey are acting to protect the industry\u201d\u00a0 - 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