A recent update to guidelines for competitive events involving Nintendo games has gotten multiple community members, especially those in the Super Smash Bros. competitive scene, very worried.
According to Nintendo’s website, competitive gaming events not officially licensed by the company will have to abide by various restrictions, such as a 200-participant limit for offline events, rules on profiting from events or using sponsors and a $5,000 USD limit on prize money, among several others.
These new regulations do not apply to larger tournaments that are already licensed by Nintendo, so bigger Super Smash Bros. events should be fine to continue to operate for-profit as is. However, for fans of Super Smash Bros. Melee — a game now 22 years old and not available on the Switch — worry has arisen about obtaining future licenses for tournaments featuring the title. Another issue raised by some on social media is that the guidelines restrict “game consoles, accessories and software not licensed by Nintendo,” which could be a problem for those using third-party accessories at events.
Given Nintendo’s complicated relationship with competitive gaming for its titles, the new guidelines seem to have the publisher exerting a larger amount of control over community events. For example, the new guidelines state that organizers may not receive compensation from third-party sponsors, nor sell merchandise, beverages or food at events. Spectator fees cannot be used as part of prize pools or be collected for online tournaments. Organizers must also publicly disclose all accounting related to the costs of the event, including admission fees, prizes and entry fees. Event organizers cannot monetize the posting of videos or images associated with the event either.
It’s not exactly clear what Nintendo’s motivation is behind this move. However, some Reddit and X users have speculated that it’s due to frustration within Nintendo that Super Smash Bros. Melee remains popular competitively despite its age, while the company wants to push newer games to the forefront. The guidelines deliberately refrain from mentioning games on platforms other than the Switch, and they also restrict the usage of non-Nintendo online services for community events, which would be an issue for Melee, as players must use an emulator for online tournaments due to the game not officially having online multiplayer.
Others have speculated that Nintendo’s new guidelines are due to a desire to exert greater control over tournaments thanks to various controversies and scandals plaguing the Super Smash Bros. community in recent years. Considering Nintendo’s family-family image as a company and the kid-oriented nature of its games, the company would not want news of scandal to be associated with its products. Ultimately, while it is unclear how much these guidelines will actually matter, it is yet another hurdle for competitive Nintendo players to overcome.
Source: Nintendo, X, Reddit
