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Digital developers typically secure age ratings through the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), which distributes ratings to global boards based on an internal survey. Zapfe-Wildemann noted that because the guidelines weren’t entirely clear, the game initially received an ‘E’ for Everyone rating.
However, when the studio moved toward a physical release, individual rating boards conducted more rigorous manual reviews. The ESRB flagged the term “arsehole” and upgraded the game’s rating to ‘T’ for Teen. This reclassification triggered an automatic delisting on the digital store to force a mandatory rating update.
Dmitry Muratov, head of publishing at Skystone Games, expressed frustration over the move, stating, “One solitary word out of over 100,000 in our localization was scrutinized without giving us any opportunity to rectify it before the launch.” He pointed out the apparent double standard in the industry, where massive AAA titles featuring explicit mature themes remain untouched while a cozy bookstore game is pulled over a minor text instance.
Zapfe-Wildemann added that swapping out the offending word “would have been a five-minute fix,” but Nintendo proceeded with the delisting before informing the developers of the issue.
The impact of the removal was exacerbated by the eShop’s specific discovery mechanics. “The fallout was immediate and damaging,” Zapfe-Wildemann explained, noting that the bestseller list is the most vital tool for visibility on the Switch. “Once that sales momentum is severed, it is incredibly difficult to climb back into those rankings.”
Despite the setback, Tiny Bookshop has managed to claw its way back into the top 30 charts. The developers credited this recovery to their “incredible global community” that rallied to support the game during the outage.
Source: gamesradar.com
