Nintendo might have finally realized the Switch eShop has a lot of garbage. The company quietly rolled out a new set of publishing guidelines for developers looking to put their games on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop in Asia, but it’s not clear if the same rules are coming to other regions.

Developers who have access to the Nintendo Switch eShop developer portal have confirmed to IGN that the new guidelines took effect on June 5, which was the same day the Switch 2 launched. These rules are specific to Japan and other Asian regions for now, but they seem to be aimed at cutting down the “slop,” reducing adult content from being pushed onto the front pages, and just generally making the Switch 2 eShop a much better place to browse.

The new rules have Nintendo cracking down on game bundles, which is a huge win. For the first year a game is out, developers can only offer a maximum of five different game bundles. After that initial year, developers can add one more bundle per year, up to a grand total of eight. This is a clear response to companies creating “bundle spam,” constantly dropping new, heavily discounted bundles to keep their games artificially high on the eShop listings and on the front page.

Nintendo has also laid out specific criteria for what it considers “damaging to the Nintendo brand.” This includes pretty much what you’d expect: sexualization of children (obviously), overly sexual content, discrimination, hate speech, exploiting social issues, instructing criminal activity, and overt political statements. Still, Nintendo is firm that its list isn’t exhaustive and sometimes decisions might be made on a regional basis.

Related

Your Switch 2 Could Get a Nintendo Ban if You Buy Used Games

You could be punished for the previous owner ripping the game.

Another major change is the ban on inaccurate game descriptions. No more promising features that aren’t actually in the game, or saying something is “under development” when you have no plans to actually add it. This is a huge win for users, as it means we can hopefully trust the product pages more.

The company is also putting an end to changing a product’s name without a great reason or changing information on a live product page. Developers will need to contact Nintendo if they plan to distribute an application that doesn’t include “game elements,” so we should see fewer apps and more games.

With these updates, Nintendo is making it clear that any developers who violate these guidelines will face consequences. The company can refuse to sell the product, demand revisions, limit its visibility, or even suspend distribution entirely. Nintendo is also reserving the right to take legal action. These changes should make the stores much safer for users.

The eShop has been a bit of a wild west lately when it comes to quality control, especially with those questionable games that seem to pop up everywhere. If you’ve been on the PlayStation Store or the Nintendo eShop lately, you’ve probably seen what I’m talking about. Still, one of our own fell for it despite being fully aware of the issues, so I’d say we needed these protections on the eShop.

4K Capability

Yes, docked

4K Capabilities

HDR

What’s Included

Dock, Charger, HDMI cable, Joy-Con adapter

Brand

Nintendo

Source: IGN