While the Nintendo Switch receives large and affordable updates on a fairly regular basis, it also sometimes gets quieter downloads that happen without the user knowing or needing to do anything. These updates tend to focus on the console’s ‘banned word list’.
As we reported earlier in the year:
Nintendo maintains a “bad word” list to prohibit Switch users from creating accounts that refer to certain phrases that could be considered controversial or offensive. In 2020, the list was updated to include “Nazi”, “Slave”, “KKK”, “ACAB” and “Covid”, among others. Over the course of 2022 it has grown to include more insults, vulgar language, and various typos of Hitler.
In February, words like “ISIS,” conservative “catch-all,” “tamer,” and names of the hitman Sandy Hook were added as part of changes discovered and published by. longtime Switch data miner OatmealDometweeted earlier today that the list has been updated once again.
“A reboot-free update is out for 16.0.3”, they wrote. “The only change is in the bad word lists. It seems that Nintendo is focused on keeping the Hitler name from being corrupted (eg: “tits”, “hizzler”)”.
Apparently the word ‘TERF’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) was also included, perhaps delayed Key version related to Hogwarts Legacy approaching release.
Remember, this isn’t just a generic wordlist that Nintendo dislikes, it specifically targets user account names and therefore goes beyond some vulgar, nasty words. As OatmealDome pointed out in a follow:
Bad word lists should not be seen as just a list of bad words. It includes everything from “grinder” to “covid” to real insults. I would interpret this as “lists of words about controversial topics that are not suitable for games for minors to play”.
If you’re wondering what other words the list includes, I’m glad you asked (especially if you’re a 10-year-old), because a selection of the highlights includes:
- balls
- nargile
- Chat Roulette
- cocaine
- idiot
- semen
- testes
