Smash Ultimate Quarantine Series organisers bring in new rules following online frustrations

While many esports have transferred online with relative ease, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been at the eternal mercy of a subpar netcode and Nintendo’s poor online functionality.

Many top players have already called for Ultimate’s online to be fixed in frustration, but organisers of online Smash tournaments in the Quarantine Series, Alpharad and MoistCr1TiKaL, have decided to implement new rules to combat fatigue. 

Smash tournaments in the Quarantine Series will now be region locked to United States, Canada and Mexico, to ensure stronger connections between players. 

Minor events have also been dropped entirely, with the next tournament set to take place on 30th May titled King of WiFi. 

This tournament will also see players forced to compete with randomly selected characters, after some players believe certain characters, like Sonic, benefit from the online lag. 

The wonky online functionality has also seen many of the top players stumble in the standings, with Sonix taking down Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez in the recent May Major. 

• Read more: Pound Online showcases the importance of region locking with Smash Melee and Ultimate players paying the price

Considering Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the biggest fighting game in the world, Nintendo’s lack of support on the matter is both baffling yet unsurprising - especially after the company previously expressed their lack of interest in its esports ambitions. 

Smash Ultimate's competitive scene has recieved poor support from Nintendo (Picture: Nintendo)

Whether these rules will help keep the Smash community satisfied during the virus outbreak remains to be seen, although it’ll at least throw up some fun surprises with randomised characters.

The Quarantine Series continues with King Of WiFi on 30th May with a 10k USD prize pool.