What could be a better prospect for 2026 than creating the perfect island, or pet, or Mii in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream then sharing it online with your friends? For many, sharing their creations on social easily from their Switch consoles at just a few button presses is one of the great joys of modern gaming.
But Nintendo has announced that it's implementing a handful restrictions on image sharing for the game. In a vague statement on its support pages, Nintendo says that in its commitment "to creating experiences that are welcoming and enjoyable for everyone", it's placing "restrictions on certain image sharing features".
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Here's the full statement from Nintendo:
Nintendo aims to create experiences where players have the freedom to enjoy their Mii characters in their own way. In Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream this freedom can sometimes lead to humorous, surprising or unpredictable moments during gameplay.
While these moments are often fun for players, we recognise that out-of-context scenes may be misunderstood or may not reflect the spirit in which the game is intended to be enjoyed.
Nintendo is committed to creating experiences that are welcoming and enjoyable for everyone.
To support this commitment, and in consideration of the unique gameplay in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, we have decided to place restrictions on certain image sharing features. These limits help to make the worlds players create in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream remain fun and safe, and that the game can be enjoyed comfortably by all players.
We understand that some players may find these restrictions limiting. However, they reflect Nintendo’s ongoing philosophy of creating experiences that bring smiles to everyone who plays.
So, not very specific! But Nintendo does outline things a little more clearly over on the Japanese website (via machine translation): "The console's functions for transferring images to smartphones, posting directly to social media, and automatically uploading images (Nintendo Switch 2 only) will not be available".
Essentially, automatic transfer to the Nintendo Switch app (on Switch 2), as well as transferring images to your smartphone or posting from your console directly to social media (for both consoles) will be disabled. GameChat on Switch 2 and streaming the game on Twitch or YouTube won't be restricted.
You can, of course, still take screenshots (at least, we assume so) and use your SD card or connect your Switch console to your PC to transfer photos to your computer and then share them online, but it certainly adds a few extra steps to the process of sharing your ideas and screenshots.
So, why is Nintendo doing this? We can only speculate, but those of you who remember Swapnote might recall that the drawing and photo-sharing service was disabled in 2013 as it was being used "to exchange offensive material". We have to imagine the company is trying to prevent fans from doing this again, from sharing potentially rude and lewd designs and harmful imagery.
Considering all of the additions, inclusivity, and creativity coming to this Switch sequel, it seems like a strange decision. For a game as social as Tomodachi Life, taking out the convenience of screenshot sharing a little frustrating. It can still be done of course, but it'll just take a little more effort.
Are you disappointed in the restrictions for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream? Let us know in the comments.