Composer and former Capcom developer Masakazu Sugimori has defended Nintendo’s Game-Key Card initiative claiming that the Game-Key Cards “protect the game and digital entertainment industries as a whole.” Standing in defence of digital he says “can non-digital goods be used forever? For the most part, no. Physical things have a lifespan, and they eventually break. Digital goods, on the other hand, don’t have a lifespan.” Here’s the key points he made in an X post:
- Key cards: Preventing piracy, reducing the risk of carrying unsold stock
- Raising game prices: Amidst rising costs, Nintendo took the lead in raising prices so other struggling game companies could follow
- Cutting online services for past hardware: This sets a ‘lifespan.’ By doing this, it becomes easier for each game company to re-release their games on new hardware. In other words, it creates the job of “porting.”
“With Nintendo taking the lead, it becomes easier for other companies to follow suit and protect themselves, that’s a fact.”
