Macronix, a longtime supplier of ROM memory for Nintendo game cartridges, is exiting the ROM business entirely. The move adds pressure to an already strained supply chain and raises questions about the cost and availability of future physical game releases.
Macronix Chairman Miin Wu disclosed the gradual phase-out during the company’s third-quarter earnings call Oct. 27, according to the Taipei Times, and MST Financial analyst David Gibson brought it to gamers’ attention in a Nov. 4 post on X. The company will release no new ROM products and is redirecting manufacturing capacity toward NOR flash and NAND/eMMC memory chips. Wu said data center customers are “chasing us for more capacity,” according to the Taipei Times.
The Numbers Behind the Exit
ROM products made up just 5% of Macronix’s sales in the third quarter, a steep drop from 26% a year earlier. Macronix’s own quarterly results show ROM revenue fell 39% year over year, while the company’s NAND business exploded on data center demand. The third quarter is also the last in which Macronix will report ROM sales separately.
Nintendo sources cartridge memory from multiple suppliers. Japan’s Rohm Co. and its subsidiary Lapis Semiconductor, which operated as Oki Semiconductor until 2011, also make ROM chips for Nintendo cartridges.
How Much Does This Affect Switch 2?
Reports vary on Macronix’s role in the Switch 2 supply chain. Gibson stated that Macronix supplies ROM chips for “Switch 1 and Switch 2 game memory cards,” and Eurogamer lists Macronix as a cartridge manufacturer for both consoles. Kotaku, however, reports that Switch 2 cartridges use NAND flash memory from Rohm, which would put most of the impact on the original Switch. Research firm Omdia also tied the wind-down to the original Switch nearing the end of its life cycle. Neither Nintendo nor Macronix has confirmed who supplies Switch 2 cartridge memory, so how hard the exit hits Switch 2 physical games is still an open question.
What It Means For Physical Game Buyers
For fans who still buy physical titles, the immediate takeaway is uncertainty rather than an announced price hike or shortage. Losing a key partner “puts more pressure on the already strained supply, which could result in higher prices” for physical games, according to Eurogamer. However, no specific games, publishers or release windows have been tied to supply constraints at this point, and no timeline has been given for when or how a shortage might actually affect store shelves.
Gibson has suggested the supply squeeze could push Nintendo and other publishers further toward Game-Key Cards, a format that ships a physical card without the actual game data stored on it. Players still need to download the game, and the format has drawn criticism from fans who expect a cartridge to contain the full game. Avoiding the cost of full ROM-based cartridge production is one reason publishers have leaned on the format already. Still, a direct link between Macronix’s exit and more Game-Key Cards is a prediction, not a plan. Neither Nintendo nor any publisher has announced a change.
Context: Nintendo’s Stance On Physical Media
Nintendo has publicly committed to continuing physical game production even as the industry trends away from discs and cartridges. Bill van Zyll, vice president and general manager of Nintendo of Latin America, said in October that the company has “no plans to ditch physical.” His comments came a few months after Sony announced it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028.
That stance puts Nintendo in a different position than some of its console rivals when it comes to physical media.
What’s Next
Nintendo hasn’t said how it will replace Macronix’s capacity or whether prices for physical Switch 2 games will change. No official response from Rohm about its production capacity has been reported either.
Until Nintendo or its remaining suppliers comment directly, the practical effect on cartridge pricing and availability remains unconfirmed. Those looking to expand Switch 2 storage can check coverage of the SanDisk microSD Express card deal currently available.
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