Nippon Ichi Software’s CEO Kenzo Saruhashi told RPG Site he hasn’t seen a sales difference between traditional physical releases that hold all game data and Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards. He also commented on Sony’s plan to stop producing discs for new PlayStation titles starting in 2028 and how NIS is approaching that possibility.
NIS sees no current sales difference between physical formats that store full game data and Switch 2 game-key cards.
NIS plans to keep producing limited editions and include extras while watching market reaction.
Village in the Shade will be NIS’s next global console release, coming to PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC on October 27.
Kenzo Saruhashi, president and CEO of Nippon Ichi Software (NIS), addressed two physical-media topics in an RPG Site interview: how Switch 2 game-key cards compare to other physical formats on sales, and how NIS is responding to Sony's announcement about stopping new disc production for PlayStation in 2028.
Game-key cards versus full-data physical media
Saruhashi was asked whether NIS has observed any noticeable impact on sales for Switch 2 game-key cards versus other physical media that store all of a title's data (for example, discs or cartridge-like formats with on-device data). His response was direct: NIS currently does not see a difference in sales between those formats.
That answer was given in the context of consumer concerns that game-key cards remove a sense of ownership because they don't contain the full game data. NIS's observation suggests, at least so far, that those perceptions have not translated into measurable sales differences for their titles.
Sony announced that starting in 2028 it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation releases. Saruhashi said NIS is aligned with others in the industry in following this development closely, but Sony has not provided detailed long-term plans. NIS does not yet know whether disc sales will disappear entirely or how quickly that will occur.
Upcoming release: Village in the Shade
Saruhashi noted NIS's next major global console release is Village in the Shade, which will launch on October 27 across PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC (Steam) in Western territories. That title is the immediate context for NIS's current physical-release strategies.
What this means for consumers and publishers
For publishers: monitoring platform holder decisions (Sony's disc timeline, Nintendo's physical format choices) remains important. NIS's public position is to observe market reaction and maintain current practices until clearer signals about long-term demand and platform policies emerge.
NIS reports no current sales penalty for using Switch 2 game-key cards compared with physical formats that store game data. The company is watching Sony's 2028 disc change closely and plans to continue producing limited physical editions while evaluating market developments.
We got the chance to speak with the CEO of NIS of how he's steering both NIS Japan and NIS America into a market that's becoming tougher for Japanese developers and soon, it might become a market that no longer has physical discs.
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