Nintendo is reportedly removing a bunch of Super Mario Maker 2 levels

Several creators are reporting that Nintendo has removed some of their levels in the Super Mario Maker 2on the grounds that they included “promotional content”. Super Mario Maker 2 was released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019, allowing players to create and design their own levels using power-ups, enemies and elements from different titles.

It's been years since the game was released and Nintendo has largely moved on. Super Mario Maker 2 has received occasional updates on the Nintendo Switch over the past few years, but it's been a while since players have seen any new content. The game has mainly been kept alive by the player community, including those who have built some of its tougher levels and experiences.

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Why Nintendo is removing Super Mario Maker 2 levels

Content creators such as DGR and PangaeaPanga have claimed that “thousands” of Super Mario Maker 2 levels are deleted by Nintendo. The reasons for removal appear to be the use of in-game hashtags, many of which promote a Discord server called Team Shell. Creators who use related hashtags to help people find these specific levels are now seeing them removed as Nintendo apparently deems this to be “promotional content”. Nintendo is usually careful about restricting online content, though Super Mario Maker society does not believe this came naturally.

The current theory among Super Mario Maker 2 fans is that the levels are mass reported by a single bad actor in the game's community. It has not been verified, but it would better explain why these levels are suddenly deleted after all these years. Across social media, there has been a lot of frustration, as the community is the reason why the Switch game still sees interest among newcomers, even with little official support. Super Mario Maker 2 surpassed more than 26 million tracks uploaded in 2021, and it's likely that number has increased significantly in the years since.

Although this situation boils down to a bad actor, it seems Super Mario Maker 2 players have little recourse. Nintendo's methods can be weaponized against players, and it's all unfortunate for fans. The game may not see much official support anymore, but passionately Super Mario Maker 2 players continue to spend countless hours with the game. On YouTube, DGR has advised that players concerned about their own content being removed might want to copy their levels without using hashtags. This way the levels can be preserved if they are taken up in another report.

Who is that character?

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Who is that character?

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Super Mario Maker 2 is one of several games that fans have been hoping to see updated on the Nintendo Switch 2. Over the past year, several games released on the original Switch have seen improved visuals and performance, in addition to new content. Super Mario Maker 2 seems like a perfect candidate, especially if Nintendo were to add Joy-Con mouse support. Of course, many fans would be much happier with a third installment in the series, offering even more options for creating custom Mario courses. For now, fans have to lean on the tools available while playing the countless levels that have been uploaded by the community.