Nintendo recently released a video of a popular Splatoon Content creator who filed a complaint within 20 hours of the video being posted on YouTube. As reported by Yutura, the creator in question is Liora Channel, which has over 274,000 subscribers at the time of writing and is known for posting Let's Play videos and guides for Nintendo's family-friendly TPS Splatoon 3.
The video that prompted Nintendo's quick response wasn't a simple Let's Play, however. On August 22, Liora Channel uploaded a video in which they interviewed so-called “Splatoon Girls,” or female players of Splatoon 3. The interview takes on a sexual tone, as the questions relate to their experiences meeting high-ranking male Splatoon players in real life and how these encounters often lead to casual sexual relationships.
The content creator also reportedly gave advice on “how to leave your virginity behind” in the video, which was met with harsh criticism from the public given the game's “E for Everyone” age rating and Splatoon's popularity among children.
Probably in response to online reports from users, Nintendo immediately requested the removal of the video, as Liora Channel itself confirmed.rdThey commented on their personal X account: “Since Nintendo has told me directly that the video is unacceptable, from now on I will be careful not to mix sexual themes with Nintendo content.”
In this sense, Nintendo's terms of use for its website and user services expressly prohibit the creation of user content that displays “obscene” or otherwise objectionable conduct.
Games with young player demographics are known targets for sex offenders, leading to crimes such as grooming and sexual abuse of minors. According to data from Bloomberg (via PCgamer), “since 2018, police in the U.S. have arrested at least two dozen people accused of kidnapping or abusing victims they met or groomed through Roblox.” Nintendo's Splatoon has also been affected by such cases, with a woman arrested in 2023 on charges of stalking and seeking a “romantic relationship” with a minor she contacted through the game.
With that in mind, it's easy to see how potentially damaging a video from a popular content creator encouraging people to pursue sexual encounters through Splatoon could be. Thankfully, Nintendo seems to be taking proactive measures to make the game a safe place.
