One of the most popular games of 2026 has been under fire at the start of 2026 Dispatch fans have taken issue with the censorship on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions of the game. While Dispatch It's not an overly demanding game, it does contain some distinctly NSFW scenes that have been the target of its censored Switch release. While this kind of censorship is confusing and upsetting to fans who expected the original, uncensored experience, it's gotten to the point where the absurdity of the censorship almost makes the game unintentionally even funnier as a result.
Part of what does Dispatch so beloved is the game's delicate balance of humor and genuinely well-written characters. In several cases, they have risky scenes in Dispatch required for visual gags that don't land the same when censored. As a result, the censored version of Dispatch almost feels like an absurdist comedy with how characters react to content that players can't actually see due to the censors.
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Dispatch's censorship is almost comical in the context of the game
At the core of Dispatch is a tale of redemption for a group of underdogs and a washed-up hero who seeks to avenge his father. Robert Robertson's relationship with the Z-Team, Blonde Blazer and Chase is based on the hijackings the group experiences together and binds them together. When parts of this journey are censored, it not only detracts from the experience originally intended by the developers, but also removes a layer of the shared moment between the player and the characters that makes them feel a part of Dispatchs world.
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The Dispatch censorship controversy explained
When Dispatch was released on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on January 28, players realized that the game's censorship mode was on by default with no option to turn it off. This detail was not announced ahead of time, leaving some fans who purchased the game on Switch feeling misled. In response, Dispatch Developer AdHoc issued a statement claiming that Nintendo had required the game to censor its mature content to meet the platform's guidelines. Nintendo issued a follow-up statement noting that it requires developers to ensure that their games meet the guidelines to be rated in any region where it is released, but does not dictate how developers go about meeting those guidelines.
Nintendo has content guidelines. Our game did not meet these guidelines, so we made changes that allowed us to release on their platform. That's what happened here.
Dispatch contains scenes of both male and female nudity, as well as rude gestures such as flipping the middle finger. All of these instances are censored with black boxes over the mature content, and in some cases, NSFW audio is also muted in certain scenes. The Dispatch the artbook is also censored on the Nintendo eShop, with characters covering up more skin than on the PC and PS5 versions of the Digital Deluxe Edition.
Dispatchs censorship features are a toggleable option in the PC and PS5 versions of the game, but not the Switch version.
Dispatch's Censored Switch Edition is likely due to CERO requirements
Much of the controversy surrounding Dispatchs censorship on the Switch comes from the fact that the Nintendo eShop contains much more risky games that are not censored to the same extent as Dispatch. This difference has led some Nintendo fans to theorize that AdHoc had decided to use the CERO version of the game, which was already censored to comply with Japanese ratings board guidelines, and simply release it as the international version of the Switch game instead of creating two separate ports. AdHoc has not commented on this theory, but it would explain why there was some confusion between the developer and Nintendo.
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How Dispatch's censorship inadvertently makes the game more fun
Playing Dispatch with its mature content censored is definitely the worse way to experience, but it creates a different kind of Dispatch playthrough that is entertaining in its own way. The main reason Dispatchs censorship is so funny that it doesn't try to hide any of the adult content with its censors. Rather than redraw scenes to add clothing to characters or subtly hide NSFW material with camera framing, the game simply puts black bars and boxes over the censor-worthy scenes.
For example, it's kind of fun to watch the scene in Dispatch Episode 2 where Invisigal tries to stop Lightningstruck from robbing Granny's Donuts, ending with Granny lying on the floor with a large black bar covering his backside. Another case of unintentionally hilarious censorship comes from the first time Robert meets Toxic, where his nudity is covered by a black box that takes some of the air out of the comments Robert makes about his lack of clothing.
The most surreal censored scene is at the beginning of Dispatch Episode 4, where Invisigal's dream has some audio piped out except for nudity censored by black bars. The combination of well-timed beeps and black censor bars everywhere makes it almost hilariously incomprehensible to follow, but the implication of what's going on is still there. It's such an absurd way to present this scene that you can't help but laugh, even if the censorship detracts from the whole thing Dispatch experience. AdHoc claims they're working with Nintendo to address at least some of the censored content on the Switch version, but for players willing to sit through the game's content with its current censorship, there's still a degree of enjoyment to be had in the sheer absurdity of the censors.
- Released
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October 22, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, crude humor, intense violence, nudity, sexual content, strong language, use of drugs and alcohol
- Developer
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AdHoc Studio
- Publisher
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AdHoc Studio
