Dispatch, the superhero workplace comedy made by Telltale veterans at AdHoc Studio, is out now on Nintendo Switch. But a number of excited new and returning players aren’t super happy about the release, as it turns out the game has been pretty aggressively censored on the system.
It’s been well-known since its release on other platforms that Dispatch is a game with signficant adult content. Some characters are fully or partially naked in various scenes, with their full anatomy on display. There are some sex scenes where characters make sounds associated with sex. Sometimes characters flip the bird at one another. For those who don’t want to see all this, there’s a censorship toggle in the settings that covers up the nudity and the middle fingers, and silences any unwanted sex noises. On most platforms, this is entirely optional and up to the player to turn on.
But not on Nintendo Switch. Earlier today, reports began to drop from reviewers of the Switch version that Dispatch’s censorship toggle is missing from the options on the platform. That’s because it’s permanently turned on (no pun intended). So all the censor bars and silence are just stuck that way, with no way to turn on the more mature version of the game.
Why? According to AdHoc, it’s because of Nintendo policies. “Different platforms have different content criteria, and submissions are evaluated individually,” the studio said in a statement shared with Eurogamer. “We worked with Nintendo to ensure the content within the title met the criteria to release on their platforms, but the core narrative and gameplay experience remains identical to the original release.”
This has understandably frustrated some people. A number of members of Dispatch online communities in places like Reddit and other social platforms have alternatingly expressed frustration with Nintendo for its policies, and AdHoc for bending to them so readily. While it’s true that other games in the past such as, notably, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE and Fire Emblem Fates, have also been censored in various ways. But by comparison, Dispatch’s censorship is extremely blunt and distracting. Who wants giant black bars across the screen? Especially if you can’t turn them off?
What’s more, as some have pointed out, both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 are on Switch too. Both of those games have nudity, and neither has been censored in such a way, leading to questions about what makes Dispatch different. We’re reached out to Nintendo for comment.
Dispatch is amazing, as we determined in our 9/10 review of the game, calling it “a sharp-witted workplace comedy that charms with its smart dialogue choices, great writing, and lovably aggravating cast.” You can play it without big black censor bars on PC or PlayStation 5, but no Xbox version yet.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
