Super Smash Bros. Ultimateused to receive a relatively common stream of updates. Now, the game is old enough to have been set in stone quite some time ago.Super Smash Bros. Ultimaterecently received a sudden update, and it’s worth looking into for players who want to stay at the top of their game.
It’s not an exaggeration to say thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis losing speed, if not dying outright. It’s not uncommon for developers to lay a project to rest by the time they begin working on a sequel, butSmash Bros.has always been a uniquely unfortunate case. Nintendo has not only halted support for the game, it has occasionally gone out of its way to outright obstruct the community. With that in mind, the update released on October 8 could not have come as more of a shock.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s October 2024 Update Isn’t a Game Changer
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is On its Last Legs
To understand why the new update feels so out of left field, one only has to look into the two previous updates. Before October 8, thelast update toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewas released on February 14 of this year. That may not seem like that long ago, and it isn’t. However, the update before that was released as far back as December 2021, which also marked the final balance patch.
Thanks to the severe imbalance ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC fighters, players have never stopped demanding another update. Likewise, any time a new update is announced, an extensive balance patch is the first thing that tends to come to mind. Unfortunately for those fans, the October 8 update has a different focus entirely.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Version 13.0.03 Features Minor Updates
Fans looking for balance patches will inevitably be disappointed by the October 8 update, which makes no mention of character changes whatsoever. Instead, the update seems to be focused on what most players would consider relatively minor issues. ConsideringSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecould announce a sequelat any moment, any update whatsoever comes as a surprise.
The patch notes for the October 8 update, labeled Version 13.0.3, are as follows:
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Latest Update Has Some Unfortunate Implications
Version 13.0.03 may not have been the sweeping update that some players had hoped for. In fact, one of the only two sections is less of an update, and more of a piece of advice. It is customary at this point forSmash Bros.updates to render the replays in previous versions unplayable, so it’s nice that the patch notes would warn players who may not know. Other than that, the update is a simple bug fix forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s onlineranking system.
The release of this update may have come as a surprise, but the message going forward couldn’t be more clear. It’s wishful thinking to believe this would lead to further updates, let alone anything as ambitious as a sweeping balance patch. Instead, this may very well be the last updateSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateever receives. While the bad news is obvious, there is a bittersweet angle. A decline in support forUltimatemakes the development of thenextSuper Smash Bros. gameon the Switch successor that much more likely.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
WHERE TO PLAY
Gaming icons clash in the ultimate brawl you may play anytime, anywhere! Smash rivals off the stage as new characters Simon Belmont and King K. Rool join Inkling, Ridley, and every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history. Enjoy enhanced speed and combat at new stages based on the Castlevania series, Super Mario Odyssey, and more!Having trouble choosing a stage? Then select the Stage Morph option to transform one stage into another while battling—a series first! Plus, new echo fighters Dark Samus, Richter Belmont, and Chrom join the battle. Whether you play locally or online, savor the faster combat, new attacks, and new defensive options, like a perfect shield. Jam out to 900 different music compositions and go 1-on-1 with a friend, hold a 4-player free-for-all, kick it up to 8-player battles and more!
