Nintendo Cartridge Maker Exits ROM Business, Raising Costs and Game-key Card Fears

WHO:

Eurogamer.net - Macronix, a longtime Nintendo hardware partner and one of the main ROM memory producers, is exiting the ROM business.

Eurogamer.net - Nintendo also sources ROM memory parts from Rohm Co. (Oki Semiconductor).

Eurogamer.net - Industry analyst David Gibson shared Macronix’s announcement on X.

Eurogamer.net - Nintendo, publishers, and owners of Switch and Switch 2 games could be affected by the change.

Engadget - Describes Macronix as Nintendo’s main Switch cartridge supplier.

Ars Technica - Describes Macronix as Nintendo’s biggest ROM chip supplier.

WHAT:

Eurogamer.net - Macronix plans to phase out ROM products entirely by the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Eurogamer.net - ROM products accounted for 5 percent of Macronix’s business, based on reported third-quarter sales, down from 26 percent one year earlier.

Eurogamer.net - Macronix is shifting manufacturing capacity toward NOR (flash) and eMMC memory chips.

Eurogamer.net - ROM chips are key components in Switch and Switch 2 cartridges.

Eurogamer.net - A loss of a key supplier could put more pressure on ROM supply and lead to higher prices for physical games.

Eurogamer.net - David Gibson said the change could push more publishers, including Nintendo, to release games as Game-Key Cards, which do not include physical cartridges.

Eurogamer.net - Nintendo said it has no plans to abandon physical games.

Eurogamer.net - Micron announced it was exiting the consumer memory business and shutting down its Crucial brand.

WHERE:

Eurogamer.net - Macronix announced its decision in its latest earnings call; David Gibson shared the news on X.

Eurogamer.net - The article describes memory shortages as global.

WHEN:

Eurogamer.net - Macronix plans to complete its ROM product phaseout by the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2026.

WHY:

Eurogamer.net - The article links the industry’s memory and storage shortages to demand from AI-related business segments, saying manufacturers have redirected resources toward segments where demand is higher.

Eurogamer.net - Macronix’s ROM products represented 5 percent of its business, compared with 26 percent one year earlier.

HOW:

Eurogamer.net - Macronix will redirect manufacturing capacity from ROM products to NOR (flash) and eMMC memory chips.

Eurogamer.net - Game-Key Cards avoid the cost of including physical cartridges because they do not contain them.

Eurogamer.net - Sony decided to end disc manufacturing in 2028.

(UPDATED November 5, 2026 01:07 UTC)

Macronix, Nintendo’s main cartridge-chip supplier, plans to exit ROM production by fiscal 2026’s third quarter. The shift could tighten cartridge supplies and raise physical-game prices for Switch players. Macronix is redirecting capacity to other memory chips as demand shifts toward AI.