I've always bought and downloaded the games I own through the eShop on my Switch.I recently bought Trine 5 on the eShop, and after setting it up, I realised (through Reddit!) that Nintendo had omitted some key product information, which meant there were additional costs if I wanted to play it as intended. When speaking to ‘customer service’ for the first time, it’s painfully clear they have no incentive or motivation to help / provide fair sufficient responses. After sending them my screen-share from the Switch eShop, they eventually admitted that there was no way I could’ve known that I couldn’t play two-player without purchasing extra Joy-Cons. Trine 5 is listed with EXACTLY the same information as Nintendo’s other bestselling local multiplayer games like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. But unlike those games, you have to spend an extra £60 for the same two-player experience. I asked how customers are meant to tell the difference if the official Nintendo eShop doesn't differentiate between two-player games you can play with the included gear, and two-player games where you're required to buy add-on equipment.Gregory from Nintendo customer service said that I should’ve first checked the Nintendo website (and contacted the game’s publisher) before buying from the eShop, on the off-chance that some key product info has been omitted. And on the website, there is indeed a small disclaimer saying that this particular game requires players to purchase an extra set of Joy-Cons for multiplayer. Sure…but there's also no disclaimer on the eShop telling customers to check the Nintendo website before purchasing their products? There is no notice anywhere warning customers that the information on the eShop may be incomplete or inaccurate, and that 'more info can be found on the website'. So again...why would customers question it? The eShop isn’t some black market platform - it’s Nintendo’s official digital shop. You'd be forgiven for trusting the information provided there, surely? But Nintendo say no. The eShop is not the authority, rather the website is. And if you might’ve fallen for it and trusted eShop information as whole and complete, it’s your problem. No refunds, no acknowledgment, no apologies. Truly shocking behaviour from a company I genuinely trusted. I would really recommend Nintendo customers go to CEX, second hand stores or at least buy physical copies of games in future. You have no protection otherwise, and it'd save you the absolute brain rot that is back-and-forth emailing with the Nintendo customer service team.
