Dispatch has been censored on Switch, and fans aren’t happy

Dispatch’s anticipated release on the Nintendo Switch has been met with controversy after developers AdHoc Studio have confirmed that the episodic action-adventure will censor any nudity and swearing.

While PlayStation and PC players were offered the option for censoring any nudity in the form of a setting, Switch 1 and 2 players will not receive that option. This means that nudity and swearing will be censored regardless.

The storyline will not be impacted by the censorship, the nudity and swearing will just be covered up in the form of a black bar, like it is a redacted part of a CIA file.

What AdHoc has said

Based on AdHoc’s statement, all the signs point towards Nintendo being the party behind the censorship. It read:

“AdHoc Studio has 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.”

Fans are angry over Dispatch’s censorship on Switch

The news has been met with fury from Switch players. While it wasn’t AdHoc who chose to censor the game, fans are angry that the news only came out once the game has been released, and not when the release date and price was announced last month. 

This has caused those who pre-ordered the game to feel misled by the developers behind a game we considered as one of the best of 2025.

It has even led to some players feeling no other option to refund the game, with one tweet displaying that Nintendo customer support has been swarmed with refund requests throughout the release day.

What does this mean for the future of Dispatch on Switch?

The situation is something that is a rare bump in the road for a game that surpassed AdHoc’s three-year projection in sales within three months and got nominated for Best Indie Game and Players’ Choice at The 2025 Game Awards.

With many wanting another season of the thriller, including Aaron Paul, the voice actor of protagonist Robert Robertson, it means that another season will very likely get developed. 

However, the saga puts the next series at risk of not being released on Nintendo platforms, unless the Japanese gaming giants compromise and potentially add in the same setting that PlayStation and PC had.