Smash Ultimate pro Hurt suspended for using Nintendo Switch mods

Japanese Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player Hurt has been temporarily suspended after an investigation found he had installed Nintendo Switch mods.

As a result, the player, known as one of the best Snake mains, has announced that he will refrain from competing in tournaments between April 1st to May 31st, 2025. This is according to ENTER FORCE.36, the organisation he represents.

A public statement was issued on X by the esports organisation addressing Hurt’s ban and apologising for his actions.

In a rough translation online, it said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to fans, related parties, and partner companies for the concern and inconvenience caused regarding Hurt, a player in the Super Smash Bros.”

An internal investigation was conducted in light of a post on X from March 27th, 2025. It shared a clip from Hurt’s stream, which was broadcast on March 6th, and accused him of using delay mods based on text appearing on his screen.

The statement goes on to say: “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.”

The use of mods is against Nintendo’s Terms of Use, which the organisation acknowledges by saying it will ‘take this matter seriously’ and ‘will implement measures.’ The mod in question was a delay mod that improved the Nintendo Switch’s shaky internet, which has been a frustration for competitive Smash players over the years.

For this reason, some in the Ultimate community felt that Hurt wasn’t really harming anybody with the mod and instead called on Nintendo to fix the ongoing issue. Either way, Hurt took the situation seriously.

In a rough translation of the same statement, Hurt said: “Due to my careless actions, I committed a serious violation of the terms of service and have caused trouble to the Smash Bros. community, the fans who support me, the tournament organisers, my team, and all other related parties.”

Several actions have been taken against the Snake main, namely suspending him from playing online matches in both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the web service ‘Smashmate.’

Additionally, Hurt will refrain from competing in Super Smash Bros. tournaments for two months, ‘based on Hurt’s own wishes’, according to the esports organisation. However, for tournaments that Hurt has already been confirmed to participate it, it is at the discretion of the organisers on whether they wish him to compete.

As a result, Hurt may miss some upcoming major tournaments, or ‘Supermajors’, taking place during his suspension.

These are the Supermajors he has been listed for, according to Liquipedia:

Hurt is a Japanese Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player from Kagoshima, Kyūshū. One of his most notable and recent achievements comes from his Ultimate Championship win at Genesis X2 in February 2025.