Unpacking Creative Director Challenges Nintendo To Address "Egregious Scams" On eShop

On Nintendo eShop, you can buy Unpacking or Unpacking: Deluxe Edition. You might think these are just two editions of the same relaxing game, but that is not the case. In fact, a developer at Unpacking studio Witch Beam is calling out the latter title as one of many “egregious scams” on the Switch’s online storefront.

Spotted by Eurogamer, Unpacking creative director Wren Brier took to BlueSky to challenge Nintendo to remove “cheap fakes” from the Switch’s eShop. “It’s been over two weeks and these are still on the eShop,” Brier wrote. “Nintendo hasn’t responded to any of our reports of these egregious scams which are using our trademarked game name and purposely tricking Nintendo customers into buying cheap fakes.”

Brier originally posted about the Unpacking clones on November 28 on BlueSky. GameSpot typed “unpacking” into the search bar on Nintendo’s website. The game results did pull up the original Unpacking first, but right next to it is Unpacking: Deluxe Edition. While the thumbnail image for the two titles is different, Unpacking: Deluxe Edition is cheaper and could confuse people.

The publisher behind Unpacking: Deluxe Edition is CGI Lab. Other games available on the Switch eShop from the company include Cowboys vs Zombies: Deluxe Edition, Anime Puzzle Quest: Deluxe Edition, and Car Parking: Premium Edition.

This isn’t the first time Witch Beam has dealt with Unpacking clones, either. In January 2022, an Unpacking rip-off climbed to the top of the App Store charts. Unpacking originally released in 2021 and became a critical darling, receiving multiple nominations at the Independent Games Festival.

For more, check out GameSpot’s Unpacking review.