Mentioned in this article Games: Overwatch, Super Smash Bros.

Earlier this week, Nintendo announced the lineup of competitors for its Super Smash Bros. tournament at E3. Eight invited players will compete in a live tournament, previewing the new iteration of the game for the Switch. Nintendo held a similar event in 2014 to preview Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (colloquially known as Smash 4). However, when comparing the lineups for these two events, there is a striking difference. Based on the caliber of this year’s invitees, Nintendo seems to be indicating that it is ready to jump fully into esports with the next Smash game.

Teaching Nintendo



Nintendo’s relationship with the competitive Smash community has been complicated over the years. For almost the first full decade of Super Smash Bros. Melee’s esports growth, Nintendo simply did not acknowledge that anyone saw it as more than a casual party game.

In 2013, the Melee scene took a massive step forward by securing a spot at the most prestigious fighting game tournament of the year, the Evolution World Championship (Evo). Nintendo initially refused to give Evo permission to stream its Melee tournament, but quickly reversed the decision due to heavy backlash.

While Nintendo still had not fully embraced Smash esports by 2014, the developer threw the community an olive branch by inviting members of the competitive community to its E3 preview tournament of Smash 4. As of 2018, Nintendo still has no official esports initiatives for Smash, but the company has come to accept and even embrace the grassroots esports scene.

The Nintendo VS Twitter account regularly promotes Smash tournaments. Last year, Nintendo partnered with both Evo and Genesis, one of the biggest Smash-focused tournaments of the year. Now, Nintendo’s latest gesture towards the community could signal the company is finally ready to fully endorse Smash esports.

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Only the Best



Looking at the list of invited players from the 2014 preview event, you can see Nintendo acknowledge the competitive community, but not focus fully on high-level competitive players. While several top 10 players were in attendance such as Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma, the list included a number of former pros who had fallen out of the spotlight, players who had never been considered elite, and those more well-known for their commentary than their play.

This year’s roster is a different story. It is a who’s who of elite talent, evenly split between competitors in Melee and Smash 4. Every invited Smash 4 player has been ranked in the global top 10 at some point in history, and the Melee players are some of the very best in the world. This is a list of the very best Smash players in the world, including the two players regarded as the greatest Smash players of all time: Melee’s Adam “Armada” Lindgren and Smash 4’s Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios.

Most notably, this year’s group includes Joseph “Mang0” Marquez. While Mang0 is one of the most popular Smash players in the world, his personality does not reflect Nintendo’s family-friendly brand. His Twitter feed is filled with foul language, alcohol use, and bravado. His presence at a Nintendo-sponsored event seems to be an endorsement of grassroots fighting game culture.

Smash Stock Rising



Nintendo had plenty of influencers with large audiences to choose from who can also play Smash at a high level. Instead, they put together a competitive Smash fan’s dream lineup for 2018 tournament. It is reasonable to conclude that Nintendo invited this specific group of players to show the world that the Switch version of Super Smash Bros. will embrace the competitive scene like no game before it.

For 15 years, Smash players have had to actively fight against the publisher of their game in order to build a competitive structure. Against the odds, they’ve managed to host tournaments with thousands of players, broadcast tournaments to over 70K concurrent viewers, and raise prize pools over $50K. If Nintendo has designed a game with esports in mind and is ready to fully support the competitive scene, the Smash esports scene is ready and could boom in popularity.

This invitational tournament will be an important moment for esports organizations. If Smash on the Switch offers a better competitive experience than Smash 4 it will be one of the best investments for a team going into 2019. Signing a Smash player is far less risky than securing a franchise spot in the Overwatch League of LCS or entering into the high-cost world of any team-based esport. Teams should keep a close eye on Smash for the Switch, and monitor the availability of top players planning to compete in the game.

Ultimately, the true potential of Smash on the Switch lies with its developer. Nintendo is one of the most influential video game companies in the world. It has the resources and influence to build a powerful professional circuit. If this game is the competitive entry to the series Smash fans have wanted for over 15 years, and if Nintendo is finally ready to join the esports scene, it is possible that Smash for the Switch could become a top tier esport.