One Ubisoft developer has explained why Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 will rely on Game Key Cards instead of standard cartridges, citing technical limitations of the console’s physical media.
Responding to Digital Foundry’s John Linneman on BlueSky, audio architect for the Snowdrop Engine at Ubisoft Rob Bantin explained that the game “relies heavily on disk-streaming for its open-world environments” and that Switch 2 cartridges simply did not give the performance needed for the game to hit its quality target. “I think if we’d designed a game for Switch 2 from the ground up it might have been different. As it was, we’d build a game around the SSDs of the initial target platforms, and then the Switch 2 came along a while later. In this case I think our leadership made the right call,” Bantin wrote.
Game Key Cards have already stirred controversy among Nintendo fans, as they serve as a download-key holder rather than containing the full game on the cart. While they can be resold and aren’t console-locked, critics have argued that they pose potential issues for long-term games preservation.
Star Wars Outlaws looks like a respectable third-party game on the Switch 2, as gameplay footage of it so far has shown off a consistent 30fps performance. While it’s naturally not as good-looking as the PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X|S versions, the fact that Ubisoft has managed to get the game running generally well on the Switch 2 bodes well for the system and potential upcoming releases from the company. In comparison, Elden Ring’s Switch 2 performance isn’t great at all, according to reports.
Star Wars Outlaws launched for Switch 2 on September 4, a year after it was first released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. This version of the game includes both of its DLC expansions–Wild Card and A Pirate’s Fortune–but the game might be a one-off considering that it wasn’t a commercial hit for Ubisoft. Company CEO Yves Guillemot recently blamed the Star Wars brand being in “choppy waters” as one of the reasons why the game didn’t reach Ubisoft’s sales expectations, although its worth noting that reviewers and fans criticized the game for its badly paced intro mission and various technical issues when it first launched.
Most of these issues have been addressed since then, and the post-launch expansions have been well-received.
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