User Reviews Were Briefly Possible On The Nintendo eShop
Around Friday, the ability to leave reviews for games purchased from the Nintendo Switch’s eShop was silently added to the storefront. As of today, the feature has vanished.
Chalk it up to Nintendo’s typical mystifying behavior. With no announcement from Nintendo, it took a Reddit post for word to spread that store reviews were now possible. But once it did, a healthy number of reviews started showing up for the Switch’s most popular titles…..before the feature disappeared.
Was there an issue with profane content? Was an unfavorable game bombed with negativity? According to Nintendo, nothing of the sort happened. They took it down because the whole thing was just a trial experiment. In a message sent simultaneously to leading video game news sites, Nintendo stated:
Nintendo.com recently offered a trial customer review feature to let users share feedback about Nintendo Switch games on our website. The response has been positive, and Nintendo appreciates the time and effort that reviewers put into their thoughtful commentary on the games. Nintendo has removed this feature as we evaluate the future of the ratings functionality on Nintendo.com. We have no estimate on when an update will be provided on the status of this initiative, but we appreciate the enthusiasm shown for the trial.
Like they said, there is no word on whether reviews will ever return, or become a permanent feature in the Switch eShop. Sony and Microsoft have allowed reviews on their digital storefronts for years.