Pirate groups are distributing copies of Super Smash Bros. ultimate’

Illegal copies of Super Smash Bros. are reportedly circulating. Ultimate, the latest iteration in Nintendo’s popular crossover game. How the pirate groups got into the game so early is not known. The Nintendo Switch game will officially be released on December 7.

Motherboard claims to have heard from four different sources that Smash Bros. has been leaked. They then contacted JJB, the WarezNX administrator. This is a pirate community that specializes in Switch games. JJB showed a video with specific characters and a new stage upon request. In addition, Motherboard was able to access the conversation history between the community members.

The quality of the pirated games varies. Reportedly, at least one copy had rendered someone’s console useless. Motherboard suspects that the groups came into play through a variety of methods, such as through the review code actually intended for a journalist or through an early retail sale. It is not clear which method was ultimately used.

Kotaku also claims that the rumors of the leak are correct. They had contacted a pirate community member named JJ, who showed them gameplay footage of the game via video chat. He claims that he has had the illegal copy since November 21.

Nintendo has not yet responded substantively to the messages. The developer is known for taking a hard line against piracy. Kotaku’s article states that several YouTube channels have been shut down for distributing gameplay and music from the pirated versions. This month, an American couple had to pay Nintendo $12.2 million for the sale of pirated copies of Nintendo games.