Gaming storefronts can be a wild place, and it seems that some publishers are taking advantage of the way the Nintendo Switch eShop works to get eyes on their games. A Twitter/X user posted footage that shows that the same game has been released dozens of times under different names, presumably to show up under the “New Releases” section.
New(?) trend I noticed on the Switch shop is that companies will release the same game over and over again to keep them in the new release section. Here is Sport & Fun. Switch shop is an absolute mess. pic.twitter.com/hj2L4PdnpJ
— Philip Summers (@heyphilsummers) May 6, 2024
Graphic designer Philip Summers posted a video to Twitter that appeared to show that publishers like Red Deer Games have released games like Sport & Fun: Swimming dozens of times in different bundles, using names like “Ultra Premium,” “Ultra Deluxe,” and “Amazing Edition” to make each release seem unique. Summers added that the newest version of the game will be on sale for very discounted price (in this example, $2) in order to get into the eShop’s sale list.
In general, gaming storefronts have struggled to keep up with the onslaught of new games coming out every day, with Steam instituting the Curator system years ago in order to try to bring some order to the chaos. However, given that sections like sales and new releases are relatively easy to manipulate by publishers, it’s up to the platform-holders to crack down on this if they ever want it to stop.
In other Switch news, Nintendo recently confirmed that the Switch 2 will be announced sometime this fiscal year, which ends in April 2025.
