Nintendo patches Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to target Delay Mod netcode fix

Esports News UK, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 05/09/2026

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received Patch 13.0.5 this week, its first update since June 2025, according to Esports Insider. The patch notes contain a single line: “Fixed behaviour that occurs when invalid data is sent or received in online battles.”

Nintendo gave no further explanation, but competitive players quickly identified the target as Delay Mod, an unofficial tool that reduces lag in online matches. Nintendo’s Switch netcode has long been criticised by the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scene, with online play widely regarded as a different game to LAN, requiring different reads and timing. During the pandemic, when majors moved online, players who dominated in-person events sometimes struggled against opponents who had adapted to the delay.

Hurt’s ban and the mod’s creator

The Delay Mod has already caused fallout within the community. In 2025, top Snake player Hurt, who had just won Genesis X2 the month prior, announced a self-imposed two-month ban after footage suggested he had used an input delay mod while streaming. His team, ENTER FORCE.36, confirmed the mod had been installed on one of his two Switch consoles.

“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.”

Modifying a Switch is illegal under Japanese law, and Japanese players have been particularly vocal against the mod’s use, arguing it left them at a disadvantage against overseas players willing to risk it. The backlash escalated to the point where Bluejay, the mod’s creator, was doxxed and announced they would stop developing it. Esports Insider notes it remains unclear whether Nintendo acted after reports from within the Japanese community, though that theory has circulated among players.

A pattern of friction with the competitive scene

Esports Insider also points to a separate issue behind the patch: a cheat, reportedly originating in Japan, that cuts an opponent’s connection mid-match to force an error. Nintendo may have intended the fix to target that exploit rather than Delay Mod specifically. Even so, the update lands against a backdrop of longstanding tension between Nintendo and the competitive Smash community, which has previously dealt with cancelled tournaments and cease-and-desist letters, and saw the series pulled from Evo. For many players, the sentiment following Patch 13.0.5 is simple: another reminder that Nintendo’s involvement in the competitive space tends to arrive uninvited.

Esports News UK, Senior Editor

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• Delay Mod
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