One of the biggest talking points out of Dispatch’s Switch 1 & 2 launch earlier this year was its lack of censorship options. Today, developer AdHoc Studios is releasing a free DLC to address some of that. And yes, we mean some.
While other platforms came with a Visual Censorship toggle — which let you choose whether to see in-game nudity and profane gestures — the Switch versions had no such option, with everything being unchangeably covered up by default.
Five months later, enter the HR Violations Pack. This is free DLC for the game that adds a new ‘Partial Coverage’ option — revealing any nude breasts, butts, and middle fingers that were previously censored in the base game — alongside the old ‘Full Coverage.’
However, as those who have played Dispatch on other platforms will know, this means some content will still be censored on Switch, even with the DLC. “Genitals and explicit audio are still off limits,” the DLC patch notes read, “so those stay censored.”
These elements have remained covered up in the Switch versions due to “hard requirements from Nintendo,” AdHoc’s accompanying community post reads, while the entire DLC will not be available in Japan due to “regional censorship requirements.” We asked AdHoc about the specifics of said Nintendo requirements, and we will update this article if we get a response.
For those sections deemed too spicy for Switch (full frontal nudity and the audio in Invisigal’s dream sequence), the DLC introduces a handful of new ways the visuals can be obscured, including a pixelated ‘Mosaic’ option, the standard ‘Blackout’ bar, or a ‘Chaotic’ mode that covers up any naughty bits with a conveniently-shaped PNG — a filled doughnut, the game logo, a pair of jean shorts, etc.
In the community post, AdHoc re-explained the reason for Dispatch’s censored Switch launch, and apologised to all those who felt misled by it:
The short version: Approaching launch and running out of time and resources, we were surprised to learn that our game would require some level of censoring in all regions, not just the few we were already planning for. In a difficult spot, we decided to use a single Switch build that complied with Nintendo’s strictest regional rating. This led us to deliver a more censored version of Dispatch than Switch players were expecting.
The censorship itself wasn’t the only problem, though. Those of you who wishlisted, pre-ordered, or bought Dispatch on Switch did so based on what you’d seen in trailers, previews, and reviews from other platforms. The problem was we didn’t make it clear enough, before you spent your money, that the version you were buying was materially different from that game. And for that we’re truly sorry.
But you stuck with us. And the good news is that the success you all brought Dispatch gave us the opportunity to make this right, so we invested development time into creating the Switch version you all should have gotten in the first place.
The free HR Violations Pack DLC is available today on the eShop for both the Switch 1 and 2 versions of the game.
Removed censorship options aside, we had a wonderful time with Dispatch when it launched on Switch systems earlier this year. “Thanks to the sublime writing, fantastic voiceovers, and a level of animation you’d usually expect from a big-budget streaming series,” we said in our 9/10 review, “Dispatch is the kind of superhero drama that draws you in with the sexy characters and funny one-liners, and hooks you until the bitter end with the potential of its ever-changing arcs.”
