Dispatch Dev Apologises After Nintendo Switch Censorship Fiasco

The developer behind hit superhero workplace comedy Dispatch has issued a frank apology to fans after the game launched on Nintendo platforms with mandatory censorship last week.

AdHoc Studio co-founder Nick Herman took to the game's Discord server to explain what went wrong, acknowledge the studio's communication failures, and promise an incoming update. "People have a right to be pissed" he wrote. "Lots of lessons learned here."

What Got Censored?

On PC and PS5, Dispatch includes optional toggles for visual censorship, profanity filtering, and licensed music replacement. Players choose what they see.

The Switch versions? Different story. Visual censorship is mandatory. No toggle. Black boxes cover nudity throughout. Middle finger gestures get obscured. Audio from intimate scenes gets muted.

This hit players hard because the mature content serves the story. These aren't gratuitous additions but character moments that drive the narrative forward in a game praised for its writing and performances from actors like Aaron Paul and Jeffrey Wright.

The Assumption That Backfired

Herman explained the studio initially believed Dispatch would sail through Nintendo's approval process uncensored. After all, The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 both feature nudity on Switch without restriction.

"We initially assumed, like some of you, that because games like Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk are on the platform with similar types of uncensored mature content, Dispatch would be allowed to do the same" Herman stated. "During the porting process it became clear that was not the case."

Nintendo's official statement confirmed all games must "meet our established content and platform guidelines" but insisted the company "does not make changes to partner content."

Translation: Nintendo sets the rules. Developers either comply or their game doesn't ship.

The Communication Disaster

Here's where AdHoc truly stumbled. When the team realised censorship was mandatory, they asked Nintendo to include a disclaimer on the eShop page warning buyers about content differences.

But wires crossed. The disclaimer ended up in a field literally titled "Disclaimer" instead of the prominent "About The Game" section. Most customers never saw it.

"Wires got crossed, and we put the disclaimer in the field literally titled 'Disclaimer' instead of the 'About The Game' section" Herman admitted. "This created a situation where the PSA was put in the absolute worst spot that makes it look like we were trying to hide it."

Dispatch went up for pre-order in mid-December. No social media posts mentioned censorship. No warnings in promotional materials. Players discovered the changes only after launch on 28 January.

The backlash was swift. Refund requests flooded in. Social media erupted with accusations of deception and double standards.

Why Dispatch But Not Cyberpunk?

The internet's been buzzing with one question: why does Cyberpunk 2077 get a pass whilst Dispatch doesn't?

The answer appears tied to Japan's CERO rating board, which enforces stricter censorship around nudity than Western ratings organisations. CD Projekt Red, with substantially deeper resources, released separate regional versions of Cyberpunk. The Japanese eShop got a censored CERO Z-rated version. Western regions got the full experience.

AdHoc Studio is a small indie team that launched Dispatch as their debut title after rising from Telltale Games' closure. Creating and maintaining multiple regional versions requires time and money small studios often lack.

They chose a single worldwide Switch build that complied with CERO standards across all regions. Cost-effective but restrictive for Western audiences.

An Update Is Coming (Eventually)

The good news: AdHoc is "already working with Nintendo on a path forward" to restore at least some censored content through a future update.

The realistic expectation: don't hold your breath. Herman warned fans the process involves "dev time and the console submission process" so "we're talking weeks not days."

Whether that update will fully restore the PC and PS5 experience remains unclear. Herman's careful