“I really do wish, if anyone from Nintendo corporate is watching this right now,” said Hungrybox, “just giveMeleea chance. Even if it’s justUltimate, support theUltimatescene. Support theSmashscene in general, you have people day in and day out streaming and making content, competing and going to tournaments. And we do it all grassroots.”
Hungrybox’s claims aren’t unsupported, as Nintendo has a long history of either not supporting or doing the bare minimum for theSmashcompetitive scene. The most recent display of this apathy came during Evo 2020 Japan, a massive fighting game tournament. First-place winners inStreet Fighter 5andTekken 7earned 1 million Yen, which is equal to a little over $9,000. Meanwhile, the first-place victor inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo’s only game at the event, won a special edition Switch Pro controller with a goldSmashlogo.
The notion thatSmashshouldn’t be treated as a competitive title stretches all the way to Masahiro Sakurai, the series' longtime director. In aninterview with The Washington Postin 2018, Sakurai claimed that focusing on the competitive side ofSmashwould alienate its more casual players. “I feel like a game, at the end of the day, is about playing the game. But if we focus too much on the top-level players - or the audience - then the game skews a little bit too much on the technical side,” said Sakurai.
Pressure against competitiveSmashfrom Nintendo has also come from corporate and legal levels. At Evo 2013, Nintendo not only pressured Evo co-founder Joey “Mr Wizard” Cuellar to shut down theMeleestream, but the entireMeleeportion of the tournament as well. Two years later,Project Melee, a popular mod forSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, ceased development due to fears of legal repercussions from Nintendo.
At the end of the day, support from Nintendo doesn’t seem to threaten the existence of competitiveSmash. Even at this year’s Evo,Smash Ultimatehas the most playerssigning up. This scene has existed for decades, fuelled by fans of the games. And even though it may not get the recognition it deserves from Nintendo, the scene won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
