The Infamous Shovelware Spam Might Be Fixed With The Switch 2

After years of growing frustration, Nintendo has at last cracked down on the wave of low-quality games that have overwhelmed its digital store.

When Switch 2 launched, the company introduced new publishing rules to tackle shovelware, deceptive store listings, and exploitative game tactics.

Although these updates affect only the Asian and Japanese eShops for now, many view this as Nintendo’s strongest indication yet that it wants to tackle bad storefront practices before they worsen on its next-gen console.

What Problems Plagued the First Switch Storefront?

For years, players and developers alike have criticized the Switch eShop for being overrun with “slop” — a term that’s come to define games with little substance, reused assets, AI-generated cover art, and titles that rely on clickbait names or bundles to game the system.

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Publishers have taken advantage of Nintendo’s lax policies by pushing out dozens of reskinned clones or bundling the same game over and over to keep their titles on the homepage.

Not only did this bury genuinely creative indie projects, but it also chipped away at the overall user experience.

Many devs voiced concerns that even well-made games were being drowned out by a constant stream of spam content, while players grew tired of sifting through what felt like endless adult-themed puzzle clones and broken novelty apps.

What Are the New Publishing Rules?

The updated Nintendo policies that came out on June 5 with the Switch 2 launch tackle these issues, the first being limits on how often a game can appear in bundles.

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During the first year, a game can only be in five bundles, with one extra bundle allowed per year after, up to eight bundles.

The goal is to stop developers from leveraging discount bundles to dominate chart positions or manipulate their presence on the storefront.

This fix is highly requested among developers and seems to be Nintendo’s way of responding to a tactic that had clearly escalated too much.

What Kinds of Content Is Nintendo Targeting?

The new rules add bundle limits and tougher content checks, so titles with offensive, misleading, or exploitative material will get stricter reviews.

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This includes content that sexualizes minors, uses strong sexual imagery, promotes political messages, teaches illegal actions, or exploits tragedies and sensitive topics.

Developers can no longer hide behind vague descriptions or preview features that don’t actually exist in the game.

There are also rules limiting when and why developers can rename a game or update its store page to stop riding popular trends.

Are the New Rules Working So Far?

Early signs of improvement are visible as spam titles appear less often in featured sections and discount lists in regions where the new guidelines are active.

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Some repeat offenders who flood the store with recycled bundles and clock apps are being filtered out or forced to rebrand. In one instance, the infamous “Hentai Girls” jigsaw series was reportedly renamed and removed from storefront search results as a clear sign of the new rules being enforced.

For developers who’ve poured real effort into their games, these changes bring hope that their work will finally stand a chance to be seen. For players, the Switch 2 eShop could finally be worth exploring again instead of just being filled with recycled games.

The policies aren’t perfect, and their rollout has been limited so far, but the intent is unmistakable. Nintendo is done looking the other way. Now, it’s up to them to make sure they stick to it.

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