Nintendo censoring Wii U 18+ eShop content in Europe, restricting access to four hours a day

Another confusing event in a chain of confusing Wii U events came to light this morning, as European gamers discovered they could not access 18+ eShop content on their Wii U. Instead of, say, watching an Assassin's Creed 3 trailer or purchasing ZombiU digitally, Wii U owners will be met with the message: "You cannot view this content. The times during which this content can be viewed have been restricted." This "restriction" occurs no matter the parental lock settings.

A Neogaf user named Panajev2001a, one of the first to discover the censorship, posted a conversation he had with Nintendo of Europe via email (loosely translated):

"Dear customer, we would like to let you know that Nintendo has always aimed to offer gameplay experiences suited to all age groups, observing carefully all the relevant regulations regarding content access that are present in the various European countries.

We have thus decided to restrict the access to content which is unsuitable to minors (PEGI) to the 11 P.M. - 3 A.M. time window."

This effectively means that no matter the age-lock settings on a Wii U, users in Europe can only access 18+ rated eShop content a mere four hours out of the day. Though it's worth noting the the above instance occurred in Italy, and while similar reports are coming from across Europe it's difficult to ascertain the reach of the censorship.

We'll keep our eye out for more information on this issue, like whether it's a temporary solution to a longterm problem. Hopefully we can expect an update from Nintendo soon.