Now with the list of games that are reported to have issues over the past few years out of the way, it’s now time that I address the point that Nintendo did not “always” have this policy in play. In fact, arguably starting with the release of the GameCube in 2001 (Some may say with the N64), Nintendo was seemingly hands-off regarding the content released on their platforms (Until now). At the moment, the list you’ll see below is an incomplete and in-progress and it would be very much appreciated if you would help by expanding it. The current list almost entirely comprises of games with risque content, but has been suggested to see about finding games that would be banned or canceled for their violent content as well, given what’s happened to Christmas Massacre, Gungrave G.O.R.E., Death end re;Quest: Code Z, and the unknown fate of Daymare: 1994.
<Mature games on Nintendo’s platforms has ‘always’ been rare, with the few titles that did exist amounting to tokens, that have also since left. Effectively exceptions that proved rule that Nintendo’s platforms were not nor ever were a friendly environment for mature titles.
The problem with this argument is that it is assuming that “Mature” video games have been overly plentiful in the first place. First of all, when you look at official statistics provided by the ESRB about the amount of games that they process during the year, and what rating they receive, it is made abundantly clear that video games rated “Mature” account for a significant minority of the games actually released to the public. In fact, it’s the smallest category of games released, accounting for 12% of titles in 2024: https://archive.md/D5MdL
And 2023: https://archive.md/GU2bu
And 2022: https://archive.md/JBOlA
In fact if one were to go back 15 years ago, during the time and hype of the “violent gaming era”, and see what amount of games received what rating, it actually reveals that, of all the video games released in 2010, only 5% of them were given the “Mature” rating: https://archive.md/1Mgpm
With this knowledge in play, it seems to indicate that “Mature” video games have always been in the minority. Especially extremely “mature” titles like the infamous Dead Or Alive Xtreme series, the Manhunt series, and the Mortal Kombat series, all of which have seen releases on Nintendo’s systems.
In addition to this, Nintendo has always been chasing after the adult audience and wanting to release mature titles as far back as the Nintendo 64: https://archive.ph/NDf83
A significant portion of the GameCube’s marketing was making it appealing to teenagers and adults: https://archive.ph/OeIhL
Marketing with games like the then-recent Resident Evil 0 that was exclusive to the GameCube: https://archive.ph/OzcPd
Putting money into “Halo-killer” games like Geist, banking on the release of Resident Evil 4: https://archive.ph/PebED
And talking about how important mature titles are to a system’s catalog: https://archive.ph/8CYay
Then with the Wii, Nintendo reached out to third parties and demanded that they release mature games on their system, which is how it got games like EA’s video game adaptation of The Godfather: https://archive.ph/uaBoz
And Rockstar’s then-upcoming title Manhunt 2: https://archive.ph/1OJl1
And still putting their own funds towards developing their own mature titles like Zangeki No Reginleiv: https://archive.ph/gTuH
Which was a bestseller: https://archive.ph/qrlb
Iwata announced the Wii U as being a console for hardcore games: https://archive.ph/X1Le2
With Miyamoto re-affirming this statement: https://archive.ph/rHfTx
Nintendo announcing mature titles like Ghost Recon, Aliens, and Battlefield: https://archive.ph/Edb1R
Going so far with the Wii U being the first game console to launch with a game rated Z by CERO: https://archive.ph/DXZTH
And even publishing games like Bayonetta 2: https://archive.ph/mfjWz
And Tomonobu Itagaki’s much anticipated Devil’s Third: https://archive.ph/At4HC
And what more needs to be said with the Switch being another console where Nintendo wanted “Mature” games: https://archive.ph/VkrEe
So to put it simply, Nintendo’s platforms have almost always been “open” to mature games for the past few decades, and receiving a plentiful amount of those games as you will see in the list provided. And it’s these factors that make their recent reversal of wanting mature content so puzzling. So here you go, a developing list of previously released mature third-party games released on Nintendo’s platforms:
>GameCube
<Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball
<BloodRayne
<BMX XXX
<Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Legend
<P.N. 03
<R: Racing Evolution
<Rogue Ops
>Nintendo DS
<Battle Reel Series 01: Reelgun
<Breath: Toiki wa Akaneiro
<Days of Memories
<Days of Memories 2
<Days of Memories 3
<Doki Majo Plus
<Dokidoki Majo Shinpan!
<Dokidoki Majo Shinpan! 2
<Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja
<Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns
<Kumatanchi
<Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Legend
<Luminous Arc
<Luminous Arc 2
<Luminous Arc 3: Eyes
<Quiz no Tabi
<Ridge Racer DS
<Shantae: Risky's Revenge
<Simple DS Series Vol. 22: Age Age The Zero-Yon * Shin'ya
<Tactical Guild
<Tokyo Odaiba Casino
<Tomb Raider: Underworld
<Touch de Rakushou! Pachi-Slot Sengen - Rio de Carnival
<Umihara Kawase Shun: Second Edition Kanzenban
<Windy X Windam
>Wii
<Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Anniversary
<MadWorld
<Manhunt 2
<Muramasa: The Demon Blade
<No More Heroes
<No More Heroes 2
<Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers
<Sexy Poker
<The House of the Dead: Overkill
<The Last Story
<Tomb Raider: Underworld
>Nintendo 3DS
<BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II
<Code of Princess
<Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars
<Dead or Alive Dimensions
<PachiPara 3D: Deluxe Umi Monogatari - Pachi-Pro Fuuunroko
<PachiPara 3D: Ooumi Monogatari 2 - Pachi Pro Fuuunroku Hana
<PachiPara 3D: Ooumi Monogatari 2 with Agnes Lum - Pachi-Pro Fuuunroku Hana
<PachiPara 3D: Premium Umi Monogatari - Yumemiru Otome to Pachinko Ou
<Ridge Racer 3D
<Sayonara Umihara Kawase
<Senran Kagura Burst
<Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson
<Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
<SoniPro
<Stella Glow
<Super Strike Beach Volleyball
<Sweet Memories: Blackjack
>Wii U
<Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
<Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
<Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut
>Switch
<Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed
<BlazBlue: Central Fiction
<BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
<BloodRayne 1 & 2: ReVamped
<BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites
<Code of Princess EX
<Cotton 100%
<Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Scarlet
<Gal*Gun Returns
<Gal*Gun 2
<Gal*Gun: Double Peace
<Gun Gun Pixies
<Idol Janshi Suchie-Pai Saturn Tribute
<Magical Night Dreams Cotton Boomerang Saturn Tribute
<Magical Night Dreams Cotton 2 Saturn Tribute
<Mary Skelter 2
<Mary Skelter Finale
<Megadimension Neptunia VII
<Moero Chronicle H
<Moero Crystal H
<Mugen Souls
<Mugen Souls Z
<Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution
<Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars
<Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters
<Nier: Automata
<No More Heroes
<No More Heroes 2
<No More Heroes III
<Omega Labyrinth Life
<Panorama Cotton
<Senran Kagura Reflexions
<Senran Kagura: Peach Ball
<Seven Pirates H
<Shantae
<Shantae and the Seven Sirens
<Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
<Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
<Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut
<SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy
<Super Neptunia RPG
<Superlative Night Dreams Cotton Fantasy
<Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
<Umihara Kawase BaZooKa!
<Umihara Kawase Fresh!