Nintendo Switch update bans words like coronavirus and ACAB

Nintendo released a software update for Nintendo Switch on Monday, and while most of the changes are under-the-hood “system stability improvements,” one tweak will be noticeable to folks trying to make new user accounts or send messages.

According to Nintendo modder and tinkerer OatmealDome, Ver. 10.2.0 expands the number of banned words on the platform, including terms such as KKK, slave, nazi, and ACAB. The ban list also includes terms such as coronavirus and COVID. Polygon tested these words out while making a new user on a Nintendo Switch lite and found that while they resulted in a warning message, the acronym BLM was allowed by the system. Most of these words seem to be a response to the current political moment in America.

Previously, the homebrew scene released a list of words banned on the portable Nintendo 3DS system, and it included curious terms such as “buttnuggets” and “analintruder.” This year, Nintendo made a statement that said the company stands “with the Black community and all those who recognize our shared humanity and fundamental belief in equity and justice,” reportedly even double matching employee donations to related causes.