The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws makes use of a game key card instead of a traditional cartridge, and according to one of the developers, the decision came down to hardware limitations rather than cost-cutting measures.
The discussion began when Digital Foundry raised questions about the physical release of the game. John Linneman suggested that publishers might simply be avoiding the expense of faster cartridges, but Ubisoft’s Rob Bantin, audio architect on the Snowdrop engine, offered a different perspective.
“Snowdrop relies heavily on disk streaming for its open world environments, and we found the Switch 2 cards simply didn’t give the performance we needed at the quality target we were going for. I don’t recall the cost of the cards ever entering the discussion – probably because it was moot,” Bantin stated on social media.
He further explained that the game had originally been built around SSD-equipped platforms like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Since the Switch 2’s physical cards could not keep up with the engine’s heavy streaming requirements, Ubisoft opted for game key cards, which allow the title to run from the console’s faster internal storage instead.
Game key cards are a unique compromise for the Switch 2. Unlike standard cartridges, they contain no game data and instead serve as authentication keys to download the full title onto the console. The physical card must remain inserted in order to launch and play, offering consumers a way to trade or resell the license, even though the game itself runs digitally.
The Switch 2 supports three different types of cartridges: full game cards, cross-platform cards compatible with both generations, and game key cards. For Star Wars Outlaws, the latter was the only option to ensure performance parity with other systems.
The Switch 2’s internal storage is built on Universal Flash Storage (UFS) technology, offering speeds close to SSDs, alongside expansion via microSD Express cards. This combination allows for much faster loading and streaming compared to the original Switch, though not all physical formats fully take advantage of this capability.
Despite the compromise, the Switch 2 port of Star Wars Outlaws has been well-received and holds up strongly against its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S counterparts. The game, developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and follows scoundrel Kay Vess on a high-stakes heist across the galaxy.
