More than 1,000 Mario Maker Levels Removed, Possibly Due to One Individual’s Actions

Recently, Nintendo has been on a rampage, removing hundreds of levels from Super Mario Maker 2 on the Switch, citing “advertising content” as the reason. Initially, reports indicated around 300 deletions, but the community now estimates that figure has surged to nearly 1,000.

The plot thickens, though. In the last day, players have pointed fingers at a notorious cheater known as MT94 as the potential instigator behind these removals. To understand this connection, we need to delve into Nintendo’s rationale for the deletions.

As highlighted by a prominent kaizo ROM hack designer and Super Mario Maker content creator, Nintendo seems to be targeting levels that include hashtags or references to “TeamShell.” This group is a popular Discord server where members share their custom level codes. It appears that levels tagged with hashtags like “#TS” or “#TeamShell” are being flagged for removal.

One level, created by JankPickle, was taken down for “advertising,” with the only notable mention being #TeamShell in its description. This raises concerns about whether Nintendo is now cracking down on all “Team” levels, despite the level being from 2020.

It’s important to note that Team Shell isn’t financially motivated; it’s simply a way for members to connect their levels to the server. Yet, Nintendo has classified this as advertising. The timing of these removals is puzzling, especially since some of the affected levels are over seven years old, and Super Mario Maker 2 hasn’t seen an update since February 2024.

In a twist, a user on another Super Mario Maker Discord server claimed responsibility for reporting these levels, going by the name LMT. This user’s linked YouTube account is associated with MT94, who was once the second-highest-rated player in the game.

MT94 achieved that ranking through cheating, utilizing three different Nintendo Switch consoles to boost their position by challenging their own accounts in co-op battles. After the community caught on and reported them, MT94’s accounts were banned.

The motivation behind targeting Team Shell remains unclear, but LMT’s post mentioned having “5 Switches reporting,” which aligns with MT94’s strategy of using multiple accounts to manipulate the ranking system. Unfortunately, players are also reporting that their Nintendo Switch accounts are being suspended, likely due to an automated system that flags accounts with a high number of reports.

Whether Nintendo will reconsider these suspensions is uncertain, but it seems the deleted Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2 levels are lost for good, as banned levels cannot be reuploaded, even with modifications.