Splatoon 2’s leaderboards were hacked to send Nintendo a message

The ‘Splatoon 2 X Rank Leaderboard’ has just been hacked by a user who is sick of Nintendo’s lacklustre approach to cheating in the game. Their message is simple. “Please. Add. Anti. Cheat.”

Splatoon 2 may be a great game but there’s no denying that Nintendo really haven’t fully embraced the concept of online or competitive gaming. We know this because Nintendo’s online service has been terrible ever since inception and only recently has it finally reached a ‘passable’ standard. Their approach to the Super Smash Bros. series has been equally infuriating to the competitive scene who have always been treated like a lesser or unintended audience.

It’s no surprise really to hear that Nintendo are also behind the eight ball when it comes to their anti-cheat measures.

In a post made to reddit on the Splatoon subreddit, a user stepped up to claim responsibility for the hack, providing proof of course. They also provided a statement to highlight their disdain.

“Splatoon 2 is a game that I love so very deeply. Despite having its connectivity issues, I think it provides a healthy and competitive environment for all players; it advocates strategy and a strong sense of team work. It is because of this, everyone enjoys Splatoon, and enjoys the fun of fighting for a rank or a league position.

However, this will not be true as long as there are cheaters lurking around.

I’ve never personally played the first Splatoon, but I heard how bad it was, being overrun by cheaters who tamper with the game and impose unfair advantages on others. I, at first, was relieved that the Switch had a decently strong system security. Perhaps that’s what the development team thought as well. Yet it doesn’t justify removing all the security measures from the first game, and leave the game and its players completely defenseless to ill-purposed griefers who mod their game to victory. I figured that someone needs to deliver a message to Nintendo.

And a loud one.

Nintendo, you’re welcome to ban my console any time. My purpose was to call attention to the current issue that plagues the game, and I’ve done that. But my message is, please make protecting your players the top priority.

Please add anti-cheat.”