Macronix, the leading manufacturer of memory chips for Nintendo game cartridges, is withdrawing from the Switch market
, by Thibaut
A minor shakeup has taken place at Nintendo. Macronix, which supplies memory chips for Nintendo’s physical game cartridges, has announced its withdrawal from the Switch market. This strategic decision could have consequences in the short or long term.
The Taiwanese company has stated that it will gradually phase out production and will no longer develop any ROM products in the future. The third quarter of 2026 will be the last for which Macronix reports ROM sales separately. The company has decided to focus on other memory technologies, such as NAND.
Consequently, this change could affect the supply chain for physical game cartridges intended for Nintendo consoles. Of course, this does not mean that this format will disappear. For example, ROHM is the leading manufacturer of memory chips for the Switch 2. This means that cartridge production may continue. Nevertheless, the trend could shift toward game key cards and purely digital sales in the more distant future.