In the Final Days of the Switch, Nintendo Takes Serious Measures in eShop Moderation.

The Nintendo eShop, known for its wide array of low-quality games and inappropriate titles, has recently seen the removal of several adult-oriented games, suggesting that Nintendo may be taking more serious measures to moderate its store. A user on X, identified as Naruki, was the one who noticed this change. Despite being recognized for its family-friendly image, the eShop has long been plagued by a surprising number of NSFW titles. This is problematic in part because many of these games appear in the store thanks to an algorithm that promotes them as great deals or new releases. Even when most of these titles have age restrictions, the thumbnails are often provocative enough to raise concerns among parents.

This problem is not new; in the past, the Wii eShop also faced an oversaturation of low-quality games. What exacerbates the situation in the Nintendo Switch eShop is the marketing strategy behind game releases, where many titles are presented with terms like "Special Edition," "Ultimate," or "Epic" to resurge in sales charts, reflecting an exploitative tactic to generate more revenue from low-effort software.

The studio RedDeer.Games has been one of the main contributors to this type of content, releasing games like Hentai Girls and Hot & Hentai, although it also develops titles more suitable for younger audiences. Currently, several of their games were being offered with discounts of up to 96%, highlighting an effort to gain visibility that does not benefit consumers.

It is unclear whether the removal of these titles was decided by RedDeer.Games or if Nintendo took the initiative, but it is notable that many of the studio's family-friendly titles still maintain an excessive amount of superlative variants. The removal of these games occurs at a suspicious time, as the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 is approaching. If Nintendo is behind this change in moderation, it could be an indication of improvements in the eShop for the new console. However, the question also arises as to why Nintendo has taken so long to address a problem that has persisted across several console generations.