Nintendo’s relationship with the passionate competitive community around its Super Smash Bros. series has always been a rocky one, but it might have hit a new low. Fans of the beloved fighting game franchise are in an uproar over a fresh set of tournament guidelines that could potentially devastate the existing Smash esports scene.
Published on October 24, these new rules, posted on Nintendo’s UK and Japan websites, place stringent limitations on all “community” tournaments. According to these guidelines, these Smash tournaments must be nonprofit events, restrict participation to a maximum of 200 contestants, cap prizes at $5,295, prohibit sponsorships, and disallow the use of modified versions of Nintendo games, such as the popular “Project M” hack of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Moreover, tournament organizers can’t even sell concessions or merchandise.
While these rules don’t outright ban all commercial tournaments, they demand that companies organizing such events obtain special licenses directly from Nintendo. However, Nintendo reserves the right to grant these licenses at their sole discretion. Given Nintendo’s history, there is concern that these restrictions might affect larger esports events or make organizing a Smash Bros. tournament an overwhelming ordeal.
Top-ranked players like Samuel “Dabuz” Buzby and Adam “Armada” Lindgren, both considered among the elite in the Smash community, expressed their frustration with Nintendo’s approach on social media. Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, another “god” of Smash, even declared that he would continue running his tournaments in defiance of Nintendo’s rules until their lawyers reach out to him directly. “I’m not going to stop out of fear. They have to come to me directly with the document,” he stated during a livestream.
Nintendo has faced criticism in the past for not supporting its competitive community to the extent that other gaming companies, like Capcom with Street Fighter, do. In the past, Nintendo tried to prevent the broadcast of the Melee finals at Evo 2013 but later reversed its decision due to public backlash. However, their relationship with the community has soured in recent years. Nintendo has been accused of shutting down various tournaments that involved third-party fan-developed services and game modifications. In 2022, after Sony acquired Evo, Nintendo decided to withdraw Smash Bros. from the event.
Nintendo initially planned to launch its own Smash Bros. league with the organization Panda Global. However, after controversy and the cancellation of Video Game Boot Camp’s Smash World Tour event in 2022, many people suspected collusion between Nintendo and Panda Global to hinder rival tournaments. A boycott against Panda’s league eventually led to its disbandment in early 2023. Interestingly, after Nintendo announced its new tournament guidelines, an alleged leak surfaced, revealing a potential collaboration between Panda Global and Nintendo, offering a competitive circuit that professionals had long desired, including substantial payments to event organizers to assist with expenses.
Although Nintendo’s new rules have been announced for Europe and Japan, many anticipate a similar set of guidelines for North America in the near future. The European and Japanese rules are set to take effect starting November 15, 2023, conveniently coinciding with the dates for Port Priority 8 in Seattle, Washington, one of the tournaments that would be impacted by these new regulations.
Nintendo has not yet responded to requests for comments regarding the situation.
