Bill van Zyll, VP & General Manager of Nintendo Latin America, stated in an interview (video above) that Nintendo has no plans to “ditch” physical media. Justifiably that quote is getting a lot of attention, but he also made a few other interesting claims:
- For Nintendo games, LATAM consumers buy more physical than digital
- NoA is working to improve availability of not just new and also evergreen physical games in Brazil
- Zelda hardware & software shortage is global, but they are making more
- Switch 1 and 2 are selling about 50-50 in Brazil (families vs. enthusiasts)
It’s clear that the Switch 1 system and physical media are still vital in growth markets such as Brazil and Indonesia. I saw some comments downplaying Bill’s role as not decision-making, but exactly because of that he must be conveying Nintendo’s official position—not just a personal opinion—on physical media. Furukawa, the top brass, said as much in 2024.
[Originally posted on 2026-10-12 Pacific Time]
