Star Wars Outlaws Dev Explains Why Switch 2 Uses Download Cards

So, the Nintendo Switch 2 is stirring up some opinions with its game key cards. Instead of holding the actual game, they just trigger a download from the eShop. I know, right? A bit weird. However, Rob Bantin from Ubisoft, who works on their Snowdrop engine, shed some light on why they went with these cards for Star Wars Outlaws on the Switch 2.

Basically, John Linneman from Digital Foundry asked about the key cards, wondering if cost was the main reason. Bantin's answer? The usual cards simply couldn't handle the performance they needed to hit their quality goals.

The Snowdrop engine depends on fast loading from the storage for its open-world environments. According to Bantin, the cost of the cards wasn't even a factor in the discussion.

He also pointed out that if they'd designed Star Wars Outlaws specifically for the Switch 2 from the start, things might've been different. They built the game around the SSDs of the main platforms first, and the Switch 2 came into the picture later. "In this case I think our leadership made the right call." he said.

It's worth remembering that some developers are still opting for physical cartridges with the actual game on them. CD Projekt Red, for instance, did that with Cyberpunk 2077. And get this: over 75% of Cyberpunk 2077's sales were physical copies.