Popular episodic adventure game Dispatch is being ported to the Switch, but it’s censored, and neither Nintendo or AdHoc Studio is taking the blame.
Dispatch, an episodic adventure game from an indie studio with a star-studded voice lineup including Aaron Paul, has earned critical acclaim since its release, but the recent arrival of a port to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 has caused some controversy, prompting responses from both Nintendo and AdHoc Studio.
Game censorship has picked up in the past few years, as evidenced by a battle between Valve and payment providers over adult games sold on Steam and early threats from Russia to censor or ban Grand Theft Auto VI. This story, however, stands out for what should have been an M-rated Nintendo Switch game like any other. So, what’s the deal?
A previous statement from AdHoc Studio claimed that they « worked with Nintendo to ensure the content within the title met the criteria to release on their platforms » and that the « Core narrative and gameplay experience remains identical to the original release ». However, this was after early promotional material revealed a character had a modified design and before the full release of the game included some censored (but still present) scenes. Recently, GoNintendo followed up and received a statement from Nintendo itself regarding the censorship, which has taken the conversation in a completely different direction.
