Indie game developers critique Nintendo eShop's inadequacy in combating 'eslop', highlighting its impact on their work and expressing preference for Steam due to its instinctive burial of AI flaws.
In a move to enhance the quality and discoverability of games on the Switch 2 eShop, Nintendo has unveiled new publishing guidelines. These guidelines are designed to target spammy tactics and low-effort titles, often referred to as "eSlop."
The new rules introduce stricter vetting measures, with significant focus on limiting bundles, sensitive content restrictions, and accurate game descriptions.
Under the new guidelines, publishers can sell up to five bundles within the first year after a game's release, with this number increasing by one each subsequent year, up to a maximum of eight. This aims to curb the practice of flooding the storefront with bundles to artificially boost visibility.
Nintendo has also explicitly restricted content involving the sexualization of children, overly sexual material, discrimination, hate, exploitation of social issues, instructions for criminal activity, and political statements. The goal is to improve the overall quality and safety of the content on the eShop.
Publishers are also prohibited from providing inaccurate game descriptions or advertising features that are not expected to be implemented, preventing misleading listings.
These new guidelines are currently in effect primarily in Japan and some Asian regions as part of the Switch 2 launch efforts. They are not yet live in Western markets, suggesting a cautious, phased approach as Nintendo evaluates the effectiveness of these measures in specific markets first.
Indie developers, who have long expressed frustrations about the Nintendo eShop's struggles to compete with platforms like Steam, are hopeful that these changes will be implemented in other markets. They believe these measures could provide a level playing field, making it easier for games with no marketing budget to gain visibility.
However, the flood of low-effort games in digital marketplaces remains a concern for indie developers. Incidents such as the alleged theft and uploading of games like The Backrooms 1998 and the circulation of fake versions of Repo on the Nintendo eShop underscore the need for such measures.
Elie Gould, a news writer with a love for horror games and an unhealthy fear of being chased, has documented these issues extensively. Previously working at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studying International Journalism and Documentaries, Elie has a habit of filming short docs about Smash Bros. or indie games.
As the eShop landscape evolves, it will be interesting to see how these new guidelines impact the indie game community and the overall quality of the games available on the Switch 2 eShop.
- The new guidelines in the Switch 2 eShop aim to limit the practice of selling multiple game bundles, with publishers allowed a maximum of eight after the first year to prevent artificially boosting visibility.
- The international gaming community is hopeful that Nintendo's stricter vetting measures, including content restrictions and accurate game descriptions, will be implemented in Western markets Soon.
- Elie Gould, a news writer with a passion for horror games and a fear of chases, has documented the issues of low-effort games and theft of indie games extensively.
- Nintendo's new publishing guidelines to combat low-effort titles, often referred to as "eSlop," restrict the sexualization of children, discriminatory content, and political statements, aiming to improve the overall quality and safety of the eShop.
- The flood of low-effort games in digital marketplaces, such as the alleged theft and uploading of games like The Backrooms 1998 and the circulation of fake versions of Repo, underscores the need for guidelines that prevent such incidents.
