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# Nintendo has "no plans" to ditch physical media, which still accounts for 45.4 percent of total software sales
- URL: https://www.verticalslice.news/nintendo-has-no-plans-to-ditch-physical-media-which-still-account-for-45-4-percent-of-total-software-sales/
- Published: 2026-10-12T15:20:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T15:22:39.000Z
- Description: There's a key metric behind Nintendo's decision to stand by physical media (for now).
- Author: Chris Kerr
- Tags: Business, Nintendo

To be, or not to be? That's the existential question surrounding physical media at the moment, after PlayStation [confirmed it will only be releasing digital titles on PlayStation](https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/?ref=verticalslice.news) from January 2028 onwards. 

Switch 2 maker Nintendo offered its perspective on the matter during a recent interview at Brasil Game Show 2026\. [Speaking to YouTuber Coelho no Japão](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaLVcqavw74&ref=verticalslice.news), Bill van Zyll, VP and general manager for Nintendo in Latin America, said the company currently has "no plans" to ditch physical media. 

Here's the full quote ([thanks for clocking that, Nintendo Everything](https://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-says-it-has-no-plans-to-ditch-physical-games-knows-how-much-fans-like-it/?ref=verticalslice.news)):

> "Historically, we’ve been very agnostic, right? We go off what the consumer prefers, and take that into account very heavily. We also have a platform that was just launched. We’re barely just over a year into NS2 \[Nintendo Switch 2\]. It’s got both digital and physical—that capability. There’s no plans to ditch physical. We know how much the fans like it as well, so our position has been to be agnostic." 

Like others across the industry, Nintendo is letting consumer preferences inform its decision—so the company's position shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. 

[In its latest annual report for the fiscal year ended March 2026](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2026/260508%5F5e.pdf?ref=verticalslice.news) (FY25), Nintendo recorded digital sales of ¥407.6 billion ($2.5 billion). 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/ae/83ae1391-311e-4ba5-a8ec-7a0ea72ef568/content/images/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-15.50.05.png)

Image via Nintendo

That's an increase of 25 percent year-on-year, and was largely attributed to an upswing in sales of "downloadable versions of packaged software." Don't forget, digital also includes add-on content and Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions. 

Perhaps the most important stat to consider, however, is that digital sales accounted for 54.6 percent of the total "dedicated video game platform software sales" Nintendo amassed during FY25\. 

That means Nintendo is currently selling digital and physical software fairly evenly across the board. 

Compare that with Sony, which this year noted that 78 percent of full game software unit sales across FY25 (again, ended March 2026) were digital. Food for thought as the debate around physical media continues. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/ae/83ae1391-311e-4ba5-a8ec-7a0ea72ef568/content/images/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-16.06.49.png)

Image via Sony