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Nintendo may have censored terms like ACAB and coronavirus in latest Switch update

The latest Switch update restricts some interesting keywords from appearing in usernames.
Donovan Erskine
Donovan Erskine
4

Despite the Switch’s massive success and wide variety of games, Nintendo still likes to play it safe and stay as family friendly as possible when it comes to their beloved brand. This is a leading reason as to why online functionality is so restricted on Nintendo devices. The big N has also been known to censor words they deem inappropriate for usernames and in-game chat. The latest Switch update brings about some standard changes, as well as some newly censored words. It’s been reported that “coronavirus” and “ACAB” are among terms now banned from use on the Nintendo Switch.

Dataminer @OatmealDome dove into the 10.2.0 to uncover hidden details in the latest Switch update. They shared that several words had been added to Nintendo’s infamous list of banned terms. Among these are coronavirus, COVID, slave, KKK, ACAB, and Nazi. Through the create an account page on Nintendo, Shacknews can confirm at least the latter five terms are restricted. 

The banning of these terms are clearly a reflection of the current social and political state. As civil unrest has caused tensions to rise in the United States, many have used terms like ACAB in their online handles to indicate where they stand on current matters. On the other hand, there are surely a countless number of trolls itching to go online with obviously offensive and racist names. Nintendo has yet to release any official word or comment on the newly banned words in update 10.2.0

While the banning of these words was a move to keep themselves out of the ongoing social crisis, ironically, Nintendo may have just drawn more attention towards themselves. The Black Lives Matter movement has had a profound impact on the gaming industry over the last several months, as many companies have released statements, delayed events, and donated funds.

News Editor
News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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