The latest update forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatedropped yesterday, adding the playable fighterPiranha Plantto the game as free DLC. However, those eager to check out the new fighter might regret it, as multitudes of players are now reporting that using the new fighter is corrupting their save data.
According to the reports, manySuper Smash Bros. Ultimateplayers have experienced losing their save files after playing - or attempting to play - Piranha Plant in All-Star Mode and Classic Mode. The exact cause behind the save data corruption is unclear. To make matters worse, the current issue with Piranha Plant might not be entirely limited to the new fighter. Other players claim to have experienced the same kind of save file corruption since the update when trying to play Century Smash as Mii Swordfighter or Duck Hunt.
Players who have already stumbled across this problem themselves can restore their data via cloud saves, so long as they have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Players can access their save data by accessing the Home screen, pressing the ‘+’ button withSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehighlighted, selecting Save Data Cloud Backup and then downloading an existing save from the cloud to overwrite the data on the Switch.
While not every player is experiencing this issue, the safest course of action is for those who have already downloaded and installed the update to avoid playingSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, until another patch is issued to fix the problem. While simply avoidingPiranha Plantitself might be enough to protect one’s save files, with other characters from the roster allegedly being affected, it’s still potentially risky.
This issue underscores a problem inherent to the Nintendo Switch: users can’t back up their saves on their own, so without theNintendo Switch Online subscriptioncloud saves, corrupt save data could mean starting a game all over again. For a game as massive asSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewith a huge list of unlockable characters, spirits, and a lengthy story campaign, many gamers could potentially lose hundreds of hours of progress due to this glitch.
With any luck, Nintendo will quickly respond to these claims and issue a patch to fix the problem.
