A Single Word Leads to the Removal of Popular Switch Shopkeeping Sim from eShop: “We had no opportunity to address it among 100,000 localized words.”

Indie hit Tiny Bookshop vanished from the Nintendo Switch eShop after it was discovered to contain the word “arsehole,” with no prior warning given to the developers.

Tiny Bookshop, a charming game where players manage a quaint bookshop, launched on the Nintendo Switch in August. Despite the release of major indie titles like Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong shortly after, it maintained a solid position in the eShop charts until it unexpectedly disappeared from both the rankings and the store itself.

In a conversation with an outlet, Neoludic co-CEO and creative director David Zapfe-Wildemann shared that the team became aware of the situation when fans began reaching out via direct messages to inquire about the game’s status.

Digital developers submit their games for ratings through the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), which distributes ratings to various boards worldwide. This process involves a survey where developers describe their game’s content. Zapfe-Wildemann noted that the guidelines were not very clear, leading to an E rating.

However, when seeking ratings for physical releases, the individual boards conduct a more detailed review. The ESRB identified the “arsehole” reference, resulting in a T for Teen rating. This change triggered a mandatory update to the digital store, leading to Tiny Bookshop’s delisting.

Dmitry Muratov, head of publishing at Skystone Games, expressed frustration, stating, “A single word in more than 100,000 words of localization was caught and scrutinized without a chance for us to fix it pre-release.” He added, “It’s frustrating when you see massive AAA games with much more mature themes, while a cozy bookshop game gets pulled over a single instance of text.”

Zapfe-Wildemann mentioned that replacing the word “would have taken five minutes,” but Nintendo did not notify the team until after the game was already removed.

The delisting not only caused frustration but also highlighted the chaotic nature of the Nintendo eShop. Zapfe-Wildemann remarked, “The impact was immediate and severe,” emphasizing that “On Switch, the bestseller list is one of the most critical discoverability tools the platform has.” He further explained, “It is incredibly difficult to re-enter those charts once that momentum is broken.”

Despite the setback, the game has managed to claw its way back into the top 30, a feat that “couldn’t have happened without an amazing worldwide community rallying behind us.”