Nintendo has always been a company to hand out cease and desist letters to people that are found modding their games, but this one has the Smash Bros. community seething with anger and disappointment. In a tweet by The Big House, a Super Smash Bros. tournament, they notified all of their participants that they received a cease and desist from Nintendo.
— The Big House (@TheBigHouseSSB) November 19, 2020
This has angered the Smash community as they felt that the company they’re supporting has turned their backs on them and abandoned them. It was later found out that the main reason Nintendo sent a C&D was because they’re planning to use Melee with a modification called “Slippi”. This mod enhances the online play of Melee with better net code and rollback than the stock version of the game, which helps in an online tournament. This is Nintendo’s official statement:
Nintendo's statement on the Big House event cancelation: pic.twitter.com/GCyHeeWpcy
— Patrick Shanley (@pshanley88) November 19, 2020
This statement, however, didn’t extinguish the fire from the community. Their most prominent pro players and content creators have been making videos and posts with the #FreeMelee in an attempt to make Nintendo reverse their decision. This has already happened in the past, as Nintendo has also tried to shut down the Melee event from Evo but after the backlash from players, they allowed it to go through. Here is Hungrybox’s, a top competitor for Smash, opinions about Nintendo’s Cease and Desist.
