Super Smash Bros. 3DS players getting hit by 136-year online bans
"Time until you can play online again: 71,582,030 minutes."
A number of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS players have reported receiving 136-year bans.
The penalties appear to have been doled out by a bug in Nintendo's automated anti-griefer technology, which was designed to penalise anyone aggressively targeting a specific player during group matches.
Smash Bros. typically bans people for up to 15 minutes. But those affected have been informed they cannot play again for 71,582,030 minutes.
One Reddit user has attempted to work out why the ban is that specific number. The theory involves it being a simple code error in the programming used to determine a player's correct ban length.
Nintendo has yet to acknowledge the issue, and so far there's no clear way to avoid being at risk.
Avoiding the game's online mode altogether appears to be the only way to definitely remain safe, although one-on-one online battles should be fine.
We've contacted Nintendo and asked for more information.