TOKYO—Nintendo Co. told outside game developers it is delaying delivery of 64-gigabyte game cards for its Switch console until 2019, people familiar with the matter said, meaning gamers may have to wait longer for some data-rich software titles.

The delay comes after a successful first year on the market for the Switch, a hybrid between a living-room game console and a portable player that has sold more than 10 million units. The large and growing base of Switch users is an attractive market for game makers.

While users can download games for the Switch off the internet, many choose the more-old-fashioned option of buying packaged software sold on Switch-specialized cards, which are about the size of memory cards used in digital cameras. Outside game developers rely on Nintendo for the cards.

Packaged software for the Nintendo Switch comes on a specialized card that is inserted into a slot on top of the device. Cards can hold up to 32 gigabytes of data at present. Photo: Nintendo Co.

Currently, the Switch cards can hold up to 32 gigabytes of data. That is less than the Blu-ray discs used by rival consoles, including Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox One, which can store up to 50 gigabytes of data. Nintendo used the cards for the Switch because they take up less space and make the device more portable.

Nintendo had planned to make 64-gigabyte cards available to partner developers in the second half of 2018, but recently told them that it would push the date back to 2019 owing to technical issues, according to people with direct knowledge of the discussions.


They said the notice disappointed some software makers, especially U.S.-based publishers that often produce data-heavy games. Those publishers may wait for the 64-gigabyte card to release such games for the Switch.

Some leading U.S. publishers have produced only a few titles for the Switch so far, although the storage-capacity issue is only one possible reason a publisher would wait. Other reasons may include business ties with rival console makers.

Also, the Switch’s computing power trails that of other consoles, and some outside developers said the Nintendo device might not be well-suited to data-heavy titles regardless of whether the 64-gigabyte card is available.

Nintendo decided to postpone delivery of the large-size game card to ensure quality, one person said, especially after some Switch owners on social media cited initial problems with Switch hardware and software.


Even without the 64-gigabyte card, the Switch has a growing library of titles. Nintendo’s flagship Switch games—including “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” “Super Mario Odyssey” and “Xenoblade Chronicles 2”—all take up less than 16 gigabytes.

Serkan Toto, a game-industry consultant based in Tokyo, said software releases from well-known franchises are in the works for 2018 and these would help maintain the Switch’s momentum.

Rollouts of some data-heavy games “would be nice to have, but surely not essential for the Switch’s success,” Mr. Toto said, adding that “2018 will be another successful year for Nintendo, better than what it had seen this year.”

Nintendo expects cumulative sales of the Switch machine, which was introduced last March and retails for $299.99 in the U.S., will top 16 million units by March 2018. The Switch’s predecessor, the Wii U, sold 13.6 million units during its four-year life cycle. Analysts say Nintendo might raise its forecast in January when it reports quarterly results.


Write to Takashi Mochizuki at takashi.mochizuki@wsj.com