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Nintendo chipmaker Macronix plans to end ROM production amid shrinking demand
Macronix, described as Nintendo’s main supplier of ROM chips for Switch game cards, is phasing out ROM production and plans to make no new ROM products. The shift matters to players who prefer physical games because it raises questions about the future supply of cartridges, though it does not mean Nintendo’s physical releases will stop immediately.
Macronix’s ROM business fell 39 per cent over the past year and now accounts for 5 per cent of its sales, down from 26 per cent a year earlier; the company is turning towards demand for NOR flash used in data centres. It is not Nintendo’s only cartridge supplier, and Switch 2 cards use NAND flash, which Macronix is not phasing out. Digital downloads already make up 61.5 per cent of Nintendo software sales, compared with about 85 per cent on PlayStation 5 and 96 per cent on Xbox.
In short
- Macronix is ending ROM production.
- ROM sales fell 39 per cent in a year.
- Switch 2 cards use NAND, which is unaffected.
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The case for
Ending ROM production is a commercially understandable response to sharply falling demand: ROM now represents only a small share of Macronix’s sales, while NOR flash for data centres offers another growth area. Shifting capacity towards products with stronger demand could support the company’s long-term viability, and the change does not end physical Nintendo releases immediately: Macronix is not the only cartridge supplier, and Switch 2 cards use NAND flash.
The case against
The phase-out raises a reasonable concern for players who value owning physical games, which can be lent, resold or kept independently of a digital storefront. If fewer suppliers make the relevant chips, future cartridge availability could become more uncertain, even if Nintendo’s releases do not stop at once; the shift also reflects a wider move towards downloads, which may leave those players with fewer practical choices.
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Originally published by Engadget as “Nintendo’s main Switch cartridge supplier is leaving the ROM business”.