Unpacking is an award winning indie game brought to you by the team over at Witch Beam. Although trademarked, a fresh wave of Unpacking dupes have hit the Nintendo eShop.
Unpacking is based on a simple premise, empty boxes to make a house a warm and welcoming home. However, behind the scenes, Unpacking has faced problems with scammers stealing their content.
Practice what you preach, Nintendo
Towards the end of November, Creative Director of Unpacking, Wren Brier pointed out the sheer number of games that are mimicking Unpacking. It all began with an Unpacking: Deluxe Edition appearing on the eShop, which advertises itself as a “complete unpacking experience” and an “all-in-one package includ[ing] the main game alongside all previously released DLCs.” To those who are unfamiliar with Unpacking, this could easily be interpreted as being the full version of the real deal. This fake remains on the Nintendo eShop at the time of writing.
Shortly after, even more copy cats launched on the eShop, presenting themselves as Unpacking expansions.
Over on BlueSky, Wren Brier said “It’s been over two weeks and these are still on the eShop. 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.”
This isn’t the first time Unpacking has gone through similar difficulties. In 2022, an unofficial version of Unpacking topped the iOS Store on Apple devices and the Google Play Store on Android.
Meanwhile, various legitimate publishers have previously expressed difficulties getting their games approved for the Switch system. It calls into question how these imitations were able to secure a spot on Nintendo’s store in the first place. Not to mention that if the shoe was on the other foot, Nintendo’s legal team would undoubtedly be out in full force against the perpetrators.
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