Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a staple of fighting games; the crossover platform fighter that popularized the subgenre remains well-known even over twenty years after the first game. Sadly, Nintendo is not allowing it to be a part of a big fighting game tournament this year.
The Evolution Championship Series esports event, also known as EVO, is a fighting game competition featuring some of the best players from around the world battling in games like Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter and, of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. These competitions are tense battles of skill and players make use of advanced strategies to gain an edge over opponents.
Unfortunately for platform fighter fans, EVO has announced that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will not be appearing at the event this year. This is a confusing decision by Nintendo considering how influential Super Smash Bros. is in fighting games. Importantly, the wording of the announcement implies that this decision was made by Nintendo, not EVO itself; EVO also expresses that the event organizers hope Nintendo will allow the game to return in the future. Until then, they may have to find alternative games to fill the platform fighter void left by Smash Ultimate.
Luckily for EVO, the past year has been stellar for platform fighters, with games like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl releasing and Warner Bros. MultiVersus announced, as well as games that have been around for years like Slap City and Rivals of Aether. Even without Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the lineup, EVO has a nice selection of other games in the platform fighter subgenre to pick from and even more will appear as the years go on. Super Smash Bros. may have popularized and carried the genre for many years, but now the competition is finally catching up.
While details are sparse, it is possible that Nintendo's decision to withhold Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from EVO could be rooted in the game's end of full-time development. After adding Sora as the final playable DLC character, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has not received major content additions besides a limited-time crossover with Capcom's Street Fighter series.
While the decision to withhold Super Smash Bros. from EVO is surprising, it is unfortunately a decision with some precedent. Nintendo is known for being very controlling of Super Smash Bros. tournaments in general, often canceling fan-run Smash tournaments for using mods even when there is little legal precedent to do so.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.
