Idea Factory International surprised players by announcing Death end re;Quest: Code Z, and Neptunia Re;Birth 1, 2, and 3 will no longer launch on Nintendo Switch in the west.
This was revealed in a press release, with the statement being included below.
Neptunia titles on the Nintendo eShop on May 21: Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 Sisters Generation, and Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation. It was also announced that Death end re;Quest: Code Z was set to launch physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch™ in 2025.
The 3 Neptunia titles and Death end re;Quest: Code Z for North America and Europe will no longer launch on the Nintendo Switch/Nintendo eShop due to the contents of the Re;Birth series and Death end re;Quest: Code Z not complying with the Nintendo Guidelines.
Please note that Death end re;Quest: Code Z will still launch physically and digitally for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 in 2025.
While the specific guideline these games broke was not revealed, it’s hard to pinpoint what it might be. Neptunia games are generally simple fun with the worst thing being some not safe for work things. However, Nintendo also publishes Bayonetta, which isn’t that different.
The statement also lacks Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos, which is set to release on Jan. 28, 2025. So whatever guideline the original trilogy broke is either not present in that version, or was changed after it got approved and it’s too late to change that.
Death end re;Quest is more understandable, as the franchise is known for being pretty graphic at times. Obviously we can’t speak to Death end re;Quest: Code Z, but I’d imagine similar things come into play.
It will be interesting to see if other publishers reveal similar issues, as there is overlap with NIS America, and a few others.
Regardless, Idea Factory International confirmed Death end re;Quest: Code Z will still launch on PlayStation 4/5 sometime in 2025.
