Nintendo's main Switch cartridge supplier is leaving the ROM business
This is potentially concerning news for those who prefer physical media formats.
Macronix Phases Out ROM
Nintendo's primary Switch cartridge supplier has plans to abandon the ROM portion of its business, according to reporting by the Taipei Times. The Taiwanese semiconductor and memory manufacturer Macronix is phasing out its ROM production, a move confirmed by CEO Miin Wu.
Macronix announced a record-high net profit of $337 million for the third quarter of 2026, but Wu noted that many new customers have issued a strong demand for NOR flash memory used in data centers.
1/4 Nintendo's main memory chip maker is quitting the Switch business Macronix, which makes the ROM chips in Switch 1 and Switch 2 game memory cards, is phasing out that business. There will be no new ROM products, and Q3 is the last quarter it reports ROM sales separately. — David Gibson (@gibbogame) November 4, 2026
Financial Decline
The company's ROM business declined by 39 percent over the previous year. This sector of Macronix now accounts for just five percent of total sales, down from 26 percent during the same period last year, meaning the financial incentive has diminished.
Impact on Nintendo
While Macronix is a major supplier of ROM for Switch cartridges, other entities assist in producing physical media. Furthermore, next-generation cartridges utilize NAND flash memory, a market segment that Macronix is not phasing out.
Sony PlayStation FY2025 Q4 Financial Results! • PS5 units sold – 1.5M • Lifetime PS5 units – 93.7M • Full game software units – 74.6M • First party software units – 5.8M • Digital Download Ratio – 85% • Monthly Active Users – 125M pic.twitter.com/ARBwBehu6b — Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) May 8, 2026
Industry Shift to Digital
This development highlights the ongoing shift regarding the long-term sustainability of physical game cartridges and discs. Digital products account for a significant portion of software sales across the industry, with digital downloads making up the vast majority of software transactions on competing platforms.
Digital sales dominate heavily across other console ecosystems as well, even as major hardware manufacturers continue to navigate the transition between physical and digital storefronts.
