Releasing today, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been one of the most anticipated games of 2018. With 74 base characters and even more being added in future DLC packs, the crossover fighting game is set to contain the most content out of any other in the franchise yet. So, with good reason, it is no surprise that many fans have been unable to withhold their eagerness to play to Masahiro Sakurai's latest title. However, one fan's anticipation inadvertently caused their school to cancel classes due to a note of theirs being mistaken for a possible school shooter threat.

Last Friday, a fan anticipating the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate wrote, "Dec. 7th, Time to [Smash icon]" on a school whiteboard. Students who later saw this and did not recognize the Smash icon reported it to the school's office as a potential school shooter threat. This sparked numerous off-shoot rumors that spread and later involved the local police department. Although classes were cancelled, the police department completed a thorough investigation and finally found the "threat" to be nothing but anticipation for the release of Smash Ultimate. In a note to students and parents, the school's office stated that there never was any actual threat, but instead "misinterpretations of the message about the video game."

It's safe to presume that the majority of those anticipating the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would know the Smash icon if they saw it. Despite this, most people who have never played any of the series' games surely would have no idea what the icon meant or what it was. Although the Smash icon is not threatening in itself, it's understandable how non-fans might have viewed the mystery behind the icon as a threat of its own, as it does somewhat resemble an off-center set of cross-hairs.

While the initial reaction from the school in this situation might seem silly in retrospect, there's no doubt that the occurrence of recent tragedies have led to these kind of responses now being commonplace, and perhaps even necessary. Even the gaming industry has been hit hard in the past by such violence, with the mass shooting at the Madden Tournament back in August being just one example of this, forcing gaming-related events to increase security and take potential threats seriously.

On a much lighter note, Smash fans were rewarded last night with not only the release of Ultimate, but also with the announcement of its first DLC pack, confirming the inclusion of Persona 5's Joker. This came as a surprise to nearly everyone, and it will surely give Smash fans something to look forward to as they play through Ultimate.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Source: Reddit