Nintendo has removed more than 1,000 levels from Super Mario Maker 2 on its Switch servers in recent days, citing advertising content. The deletions target levels tagged with hashtags linked to the Team Shell Discord server, such as #TeamShell or #TS. Community members suspect a known cheater, MT94, is behind mass reports triggering the removals.
Nintendo began wiping Super Mario Maker 2 levels containing what it deems 'advertising content,' as first reported by Automaton. The number of deleted levels has risen from around 300 to over 1,000, according to community estimates. Many affected levels feature tags associating them with the Team Shell Discord server, a hub for sharing custom level codes. These include variations like #TS and #TeamShell, with no apparent financial motive behind the tags, community members say. Some deleted levels date back over seven years, despite the game receiving its last update in February 2024. PangaeaPanga, a kaizo ROM hack designer, highlighted the pattern in a video, while a Twitter user noted a 2020 level by JankPickle removed solely for a #TeamShell tag in its description. Suspicion has fallen on MT94, a former top-ranked player banned for cheating. MT94 allegedly used multiple Nintendo Switch consoles to boost rankings via co-op battles against their own accounts. A Discord user named LMT, linked to MT94's YouTube, claimed credit for reports using '5 Switches.' Additionally, Nintendo Switch accounts tied to reported levels face suspensions through an automated system. Deleted levels cannot be reuploaded, even with modifications, leaving creators without recourse.
