Nintendo Drops First Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Update in Over a Year to Target Controversial Delay Mod and Online Exploits

By Esports News UK – Senior Editor
Last Updated: September 5, 2026

Executive Overview

In a move that has sent ripples through the global fighting game community, Nintendo has deployed Patch 13.0.5 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Released in September 2026, this unexpected update marks the game’s first patch since June 2025. True to Nintendo’s traditionally tight-lipped communications style, the patch notes contained a single, cryptic line: "Fixed behaviour that occurs when invalid data is sent or received in online battles."

Despite the company’s refusal to elaborate, competitive players, software engineers, and community analysts quickly decoded the update’s true purpose. The patch is widely believed to directly target the Delay Mod—an unofficial, community-created software modification designed to alleviate the notorious input delay plaguing Smash Ultimate’s peer-to-peer netcode. At the same time, security experts within the scene suggest the update may also serve as a countermeasure against a malicious, region-specific exploit that forces opponents to disconnect mid-match.

The release of Patch 13.0.5 has reignited longstanding tensions between Nintendo and the fiercely competitive Super Smash Bros. scene. From high-profile professional bans and legal controversies under Japanese law to the doxxing of the mod’s creator, this update is far more than a routine backend adjustment. It represents a dramatic intersection of grassroots community adaptation, software piracy laws, and corporate enforcement in the modern esports landscape.

Detailed Chronology: From Netcode Frustrations to Patch 13.0.5

To understand the weight of Patch 13.0.5, one must examine the history of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s online infrastructure. Ever since the game launched on the Nintendo Switch in 2018, its netcode has been a primary point of contention. Unlike modern fighting games utilizing robust rollback netcode, Smash Ultimate relies on delay-based netcode. This results in matches that can feel sluggish, unpredictable, and fundamentally disconnected from the precise local LAN environments where major tournaments are traditionally decided.

The disparity between online and offline play became an existential crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. As major tournaments shifted entirely online, players who thrived in offline settings suddenly found themselves struggling against opponents who had mastered the rhythms of online lag. This persistent frustration ultimately birthed the "Delay Mod"—a technical workaround created to standardize or reduce input lag for competitive training.

The Catalyst: The Fall of Patch 13.0.5

For over a year, the competitive scene operated under a quiet status quo, with Patch 13.0.4 serving as the final word from Nintendo in June 2025. That fragile peace shattered this week when Nintendo pushed Patch 13.0.5 live without warning.

While the patch notes remained bare-bones, data miners and competitive veterans immediately recognized that the update altered network validation protocols. Specifically, it closed loopholes that allowed modified clients to manipulate how input delay frames were handled during peer-to-peer handshakes. For a community that had spent years adapting to software workarounds, Nintendo’s sudden intervention signaled the definitive end of the Delay Mod era.

The Controversy Surrounding Delay Mod and High-Profile Fallout

The use of unofficial performance-enhancing mods in online play was never entirely a secret, but it exploded into public view following a major competitive scandal in 2025. The controversy permanently stained the reputation of several high-ranking professionals and brought intense regulatory scrutiny from Japanese authorities.

The Hurt Scandal and ENTER FORCE.36 Investigation

The flashpoint occurred when footage emerged linking top-tier professional Snake player Hurt—who had captured a monumental victory at Genesis X2 just a month prior—to the use of an input delay mod during live broadcasts. The revelation caused immediate uproar, leading Hurt to voluntarily step away from competition with a self-imposed two-month ban.

His esports organization, ENTER FORCE.36, launched a formal internal investigation. The organization later published a comprehensive statement detailing the findings:

"As a result of our internal investigation, we have confirmed that Hurt had installed unofficial mods on one of the two Nintendo Switch systems he owns. According to the person in question, he had only used the equipment when playing private online matches with acquaintances, and the footage in question was an excerpt from a stream of an online match in which he was matched up with an unspecified number of people while unintentionally using the equipment."

While Hurt’s organization framed the incident as an accidental oversight during public matchmaking, the damage to public trust was profound.

Legal Ramifications and the Doxxing of Bluejay

The situation grew even darker off the server grid. In Japan, modifying the hardware or software of a Nintendo Switch console carries severe legal consequences under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act and copyright laws. Japanese competitive players were particularly vocal in condemning the Delay Mod, arguing that it created an unfair playing field where foreign players could bypass standard netcode limitations at minimal legal risk, whereas Japanese players faced strict local enforcement.

The intense backlash eventually targeted Bluejay, the anonymous or pseudonymous developer behind the Delay Mod. Harassment escalated into severe doxxing, ultimately forcing Bluejay to announce the complete cessation of all future development and support for the tool. Whether Nintendo acted directly on reports from the Japanese community remains unconfirmed, but industry insiders widely believe that mounting public pressure from Japanese competitors forced the corporate giant’s hand.

Supporting Context & Technical Metrics: Netcode and Exploits

Beyond the Delay Mod, technical analysts have highlighted a secondary, equally sinister motivation behind Patch 13.0.5: a coordinated exploit originating in Japan that allowed malicious actors to forcibly terminate an opponent’s connection mid-match, registering a forced error or unearned loss.

The Battle Between Delay-Based and Rollback Netcode

To grasp why players turned to mods in the first place, one must look at the mechanics of modern netcode:

Because Nintendo steadfastly refused to upgrade Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to rollback netcode—unlike modern fighters such as Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8—the competitive community was left to police itself, leading to the dangerous reliance on unauthorized software patches.

Official Statements and Corporate Friction

The release of Patch 13.0.5 is merely the latest chapter in a long, troubled history between Nintendo and the Super Smash Bros. competitive community. For over a decade, the relationship has been defined by corporate protectionism clashing with grassroots passion.

A Legacy of Conflict

Nintendo’s historical stance on competitive esports has frequently alienated its most dedicated fan base. Key milestones in this rocky relationship include:

• The Evo 2013 Incident: Nintendo initially attempted to block Super Smash Bros. Melee from appearing at the prestigious Evolution Championship Series, relenting only after massive public outcry and a charity drive.
• The The Big House Shutdown (2020): Nintendo issued a cease-and-desist letter to cancel The Big House, a premier online tournament, due to its use of Slippi (a rollback netcode mod for Melee).
• Pulls from Major Circuits: Over the years, official and semi-official support for grassroots circuits has dwindled, with Nintendo often opting for heavy-handed legal deterrents rather than collaborative partnerships.

When viewed through this historical lens, Patch 13.0.5 is seen by many players not as a welcome maintenance update, but as an intrusion. The prevailing sentiment across social media platforms and competitive Discord servers can be summarized succinctly: Nintendo’s involvement in the competitive space only ever arrives uninvited, and rarely brings positive news.

Future Outlook: What’s Next for Competitive Smash Ultimate?

As the dust settles on Patch 13.0.5, the competitive landscape faces an uncertain crossroads. With the Delay Mod effectively neutralized and modified consoles facing immediate bans or connection errors, players must return strictly to vanilla online mechanics or focus entirely on local LAN tournaments.

Key Takeaways for the Scene:

1. The Death of Client-Side Netcode Fixes: Developers like Bluejay have stepped away, and Nintendo’s updated handshake protocols mean unofficial delay-reduction tools are no longer viable for competitive play.
2. Stricter Organizational Oversight: Esports organizations will likely ramp up compliance audits, ensuring their rostered players maintain completely stock hardware to avoid scandals similar to the Hurt investigation.
3. The Looming Transition to Next-Gen Hardware: With rumors swirling regarding Nintendo’s upcoming hardware successor, the competitive community is left wondering whether Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will receive any further technical attention, or if the game’s competitive lifecycle is drawing to a quiet, unceremonious close.

Ultimately, Patch 13.0.5 serves as a harsh reminder of the realities of console gaming. While players continue to demand better online infrastructure and modern netcode solutions, Nintendo remains firmly in control of the ecosystem—willing to drop a surprise patch after more than a year of silence, strictly to enforce its rules on its own terms.