Nintendo warns Splatoon 3 players against inappropriate and offensive nicknames 

Nintendo released a notice regarding the use of inappropriate nicknames in Splatoon 3 via the official Japanese Splatoon Twitter account on June 16. They stressed that playing the game with an inappropriate nickname may result in your ability to play being restricted according to the terms of use. 

The tweet has garnered a high number of responses from players, ranging from those who reported coming across inappropriate nicknames while playing to those who gave examples of nicknames that actually resulted in them being prevented from playing. 

As far as what kind of nicknames are deemed to be inappropriate, the Nintendo Account User Agreement may be a good indicator. The Japanese version of the agreement prohibits the sharing and distribution of user-generated content that includes expressions that are violent, discriminatory, obscene, or sexual, among other things. Additionally, it goes without saying that actions that harass or slander other people are also prohibited.  

As an example, Nintendo frequently updates the list of  words that are prohibited from being included in user nicknames through system updates for the Nintendo Switch. Some of the words that have been added to the list  include “KKK,” “Slave,” “Nazi,” “coronavirus,” and “COVID.” Furthermore, a system update released in February made it so that user nicknames including prohibited terms would be replaced with “???” in a number of different games (Related article). It’s safe to assume that discriminatory or slanderous expressions are likewise deemed inappropriate in Splatoon 3.  

Many Twitter users replied to the tweet from the official Japanese Splatoon Twitter account asking what the criteria are for something to be considered inappropriate, and giving examples of nicknames that they have seen in-game. Among the examples provided by users, you can many see straight up obscene or abusive words, discriminatory terms, or nicknames that play on such words. There were even reports of users who were suspended from using Splatoon 3’s network services for 14 days due to using a nickname that alluded to genitals. The fact that inappropriate names are being used and players are being punished for it likely led Nintendo to release a notice regarding the issue. 

This is not the first time that Nintendo has warned players about using inappropriate names either. A similar notice was released by the Splatoon Twitter account in 2019 in regard to inappropriate nicknames being used in Splatoon 2.  

Even in Splatoon 2, there are examples of Nintendo taking action against the use of such nicknames. When announcing the top four teams in one of the game’s League Battles, one team’s names were left blank. The reason was that the team in question included a member whose name was an admittedly tame moniker for penis.  

The same approach is being taken with Splatoon 3 as well, with Nintendo stating that players or teams with inappropriate nicknames who place high in X Battle or Challenge mode would not have their names displayed in the result announcement. In the case of Splatoon 2 that we described above, every single member of the team had their name removed, so choosing to use an inappropriate nickname may result in not only a punishment for yourself, but also besmirch the honor of your teammates.  

According to the Nintendo Account User Agreement, punishments for violating the agreement can even include being suspended from using your Nintendo Switch (or other hardware) itself. Repeated violations may result in heavier penalties being enforced. When choosing a nickname, it may be a good idea to make sure that it doesn’t contain anything offensive. 

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-06-17 19:06 JST)