Nintendo says it has no plans to abandon physical games, even as Sony prepares to stop releasing new PlayStation titles on discs from January 2028. Bill van Zyll, Nintendo’s vice president and general manager for Latin America, made the statement in an Oct. 11 interview with Brazilian YouTuber Coelho no Japao, saying the company knows how much fans enjoy physical media.
Van Zyll said Nintendo remains open to both boxed and digital releases, following what players prefer. His comments offer reassurance to collectors and shoppers who want to own, lend or resell their games as Sony moves toward digital-only releases for new titles. However, Nintendo’s position comes with a caveat: its support for physical games does not necessarily mean every boxed release will contain the full game on its cartridge.
The contrast is significant for the console market. Nintendo continues to offer both formats on the Switch 2, while Sony’s announced change raises questions about the future of game ownership and physical collections. To understand what Nintendo’s statement means, it is worth looking at what the company actually promised and what it left unsaid.
What Nintendo actually promised
Van Zyll built his answer on one idea: Nintendo follows the customer. He explained that the Switch 2, which launched a little more than a year ago, supports both digital and physical games, so the company sees no reason to remove one of them.
That stance fits Nintendo’s business, because the company depends more heavily on physical sales than its rivals do, making an all-digital strategy riskier for it. Still, his words describe a present choice rather than a permanent pledge, and several outlets stress the phrase “at least for now” when reporting the interview.
The promise also hides a complication that some fans already dislike: many physical Switch 2 releases arrive as game-key cards, which look like cartridges but contain no game data, so players must download the game and keep the card inserted every time they play.
Nintendo also began pricing physical and digital versions differently this year, saying the change reflects the different costs of making and distributing each format. Together, these details show that Nintendo’s future for physical games may look different from the one collectors remember, even though the company has no plan to end boxed releases. That difference becomes clearer when compared with Sony’s much bolder step.
Why Sony’s decision raises the stakes
Sony justified its change with a simple argument: consumer habits have shifted from discs to downloads. Its announcement says physical production for new games will end in January 2028, but the decision leaves existing games untouched, so discs already on shelves or released before that date will continue to work and sell.
Even so, the news triggered a backlash among players who worry about ownership, because a digital library depends on online stores that can change prices, remove titles or shut down, while a disc stays in the owner’s hands. Nintendo’s comment therefore gives it a marketing advantage, allowing the company to present itself as the friendlier choice for people who value collecting.
The contrast also puts pressure on other console makers, and Nintendo Life notes that Microsoft may follow Sony, which would leave Nintendo even more alone in its commitment to physical releases. Whether that lasts will depend on costs, the habits of younger players and how many fans keep buying boxed copies in the next few years. For now, the two companies have chosen opposite paths, and the market will show which one matches what players really want.