Switch 2 Accelerated Nintendo’s Abandonment of Cartridges — Analyst

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella said Nintendo is accelerating its move toward digital sales with the arrival of the Switch 2. Once the last major publisher to lean on physical media, the company’s stance is shifting quickly.

In a conversation with blogger Spawn Wave, Piscatella observed that next-generation consoles — including the upcoming Xbox — are likely to be released without disc drives. He added that Sony could also phase out physical formats, though they remain popular in certain markets.

The analyst stressed that even Nintendo, long focused on retail, has started to pivot strongly toward digital distribution.

“Nintendo held on to physical copies longer than anyone else, but it’s now changing course,” he said.

Circana’s data indicate interest in digital games among Switch 2 owners is growing faster than it did for the previous model. The console, launched on June 5, 2025, sports a 7.9-inch display, an NVIDIA Tegra processor, and offers 4K support when docked. It supports both cartridges and eShop digital titles.

While Nintendo does not disclose detailed sales breakdowns, analysts believe the digital segment has already become the company’s main strategic direction.

Source: iXBT.games