One of Nintendo's Switch and Switch 2 cartridge manufacturers is exiting the business, which could make physical games more expensive and result in even more controversial Game-Key Cards

Macronix, longtime Nintendo hardware partner and one of the main producers of ROM memory, has announced it's leaving the business. ROM chips are key components in Switch and Switch 2 cartridges.

Industry analyst David Gibson shared the news on X, which Macronix announced in its latest earnings call. The company plans to phase out ROM products entirely by the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2026.

As it stands, ROM products represent just 5 percent of Macronix's business, going off its reported sales for the third quarter. This is down significantly from 26 percent just one year ago. As a result, Macronix is shifting manufacturing capacity to instead focus on NOR (flash) and eMMC memory chips.