Nintendo Confirms It Has No Plans to Abandon Physical Games Anytime Soon

Back in July 2026, Sony dropped a bombshell: it would stop producing physical PS5 discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028, sparking debate across the gaming community. Now, Nintendo’s Latin America Vice President has weighed in, confirming that the company has no plans to abandon physical games.

Speaking to Brazilian YouTuber Coelho no Japao on October 11, 2026, Nintendo Latin America Vice President and General Manager Bill van Zyll said the company considers consumer preferences when deciding how to distribute its games, including physical and digital releases on the Nintendo Switch 2.

“We take consumer preferences very much into consideration. We also have a platform that has just been launched. We’ve been around for a little over a year with the Nintendo Switch 2, and it offers both digital and physical games. Therefore, we have no plans to abandon physical media,” said the VP.

He also explained that Latin American players prefer physical games because they can easily resell or share them, saying, “We certainly have a greater tendency towards physical media, not only in Brazil, but throughout Latin America. There is a preference for it. This happens in other places as well, but it is even stronger in Latin America and in Brazil.”

While this doesn’t guarantee Nintendo will stick with physical games forever, the company has no plans to abandon the format just yet, even as it recognizes the benefits of digital distribution. Their next major release, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, launches physically on November 5, 2026.

Nintendo offers physical cartridges or a Game-Key Card for the Nintendo Switch 2 instead of discs, which may not suit PlayStation fans, but it’s still an alternative to an all-digital future. Speaking of PlayStation, there have been updates about the disc fiasco.

Recently, Sony surveyed developers about physical discs. At the same time, NIS America’s president hinted that PlayStation could reverse its disc-killing decision, giving physical game fans newfound hope. However, you can count on Nintendo to keep physical game releases around for the foreseeable future.