Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: nintendo, nintendo switch, Smash, Super Smash Bros., super smash bros. ultimate

Pirated Versions of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Leaked Online

Published Mon, 26 Nov 2018 14:10:03 -0600

According to a report on Motherboard, pirated versions of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have already leaked online, well ahead of the game's official release. As Motherboard notes, Nintendo has a continued problem with piracy, though the Smash leak is certainly the biggest game to be pirated well ahead of launch.

From Motherboard:

"As far as [pirated] Switch games go this is the biggest ever," JJB, the administrator of WarezNX, a popular Switch piracy community that typically uses the gaming chat platform Discord, told Motherboard in an online chat.

Four sources told Motherboard pirates had leaked Smash. JJB provided a video, at Motherboard's request, of gameplay of a specific character and stage. Another source provided a second video confirming the leak is real.

Motherboard also viewed chat logs of a private chat server discussing the leak, and a thread on a popular piracy forum provides download links for the game. Motherboard granted sources anonymity to speak more candidly about private communities and illegal activity.

JJB also uploaded a video to YouTube that appears to show the game's startup process. At the time of writing, that video is still online.

While the leak was initially traced back to the WarezNX Discord server, administrator JJB told other staff to ban lower level users from the server because he "did not agree with Smash leaking as early as it did."

Piracy groups and individuals have used various methods and multiple versions of Smash over the past few days, though one version of the pirated game would "brick" Switch consoles once downloaded. IGN is reporting that at least one version of the pirated game is reportedly based on a Mexican retail version of the game, and thus will not brick consoles.

Nintendo has not responded to the Smash leak, however a statement on their website reads, "A counterfeit Nintendo product is an illegal copy of an authentic Nintendo product. These counterfeit products often originate from Taiwan, Hong Kong, or China. The production, distribution, or sale of counterfeit Nintendo products is illegal. Nintendo has brought thousands of legal actions worldwide to stop counterfeiters."

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