Physical enthusiasts, you may want to sit down for this one.
It looks like Konami’s Contra: Operation Galuga, developed by WayForward Technologies, will not have a proper physical edition on the Nintendo Switch. That is to say that boxed copies of the game will include a download code instead of a cartridge, as confirmed by a listing on Amazon UK.
Well gosh darn it. This will no doubt prove a frustrating decision for Contra fans and Switch collectors alike, and we can only assume that Konami simply isn’t willing to fork out the cash necessary to fit the game onto an appropriate cartridge. How large Operation Galuga will be is unknown at this time, but we can’t imagine it’s going to be a huge title based on the information we have so far.
It’s not the first time Konami has pulled something like this, either. The recently released Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 did offer a physical cartridge on Switch, but the only games included as standard were Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, and the bonus NES games. Users were required to download all three Metal Gear Solid games, which were arguably the main draw for many potential buyers.
Disappointing news, to be sure. The upside is that the game itself is at least looking mighty fine indeed. Konami just recently released a brand new trailer showcasing direct gameplay footage, introducing characters like Lucia, Ariana, and Probotector.