Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 ships with an empty physical cartridge

The release of the Nintendo Switch 2 is still a month away, and we are beginning to hear how big third-party titles will be arriving on Nintendo's next-generation console.

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Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws is headed to the Nintendo Switch 2 and now we are hearing through retailers the game will be arriving in the form of a Game Key card, and not a physical cartridge that contains the entire game. In fact, the physical cartridge in the Star Wars Outlaws box won't contain any data at all, with players being required to perform a "full download" of the title via the internet to access the game.

For those who don't know, the Switch 2 is ushering in a new way for third-party publishers to get their games on the new system, called Game Key Cards. These cards, while physical, will not contain any of the game files on the card itself. Instead, they will act as an activation key for the respective game. Once the game is activated, it will begin downloading. Why has Nintendo gone this route? Multiple reasons. The first is to enable publishers to save on buying expensive high-capacity game cartridges, which may not be entirely filled by the game that is loaded onto them.

But by still having a physical release in the form of an activation key, Nintendo is enabling retailers to stay relevant while also bridging the gap between physical releases and digital distribution. However, physical game collectors and those who like to dodge dreaded downloads won't be happy to know that many third-party publishers will be taking this route.