Nintendo Surprises Fans by Imposing Tough New Rules for Community Tournaments

Nintendo Shakes Competitive Gaming Scene with New Community Tournament Guidelines

Nintendo has shocked the competitive gaming world by announcing new guidelines that regulate community tournaments. These guidelines were published on the U.K. and Japanese websites of Nintendo and they stipulate the conditions for not-for-profit, small scale community tournaments that involve games copyrighted by Nintendo. They have yet to be shared on Nintendo's U.S. site, implying that they currently apply only to the U.K. and Japan.

Key points of the guidelines include:

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• Tournaments may not generate revenue, apart from some specified cases in the guidelines.
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• There is a limit of 200 participants for on-site and 300 for online tournaments.
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• Organizers can't receive compensation from third parties, sell food, drink or merchandise, or offer prizes beyond a certain total market value (£4,500 / €5,000).
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• Online tournaments cannot charge spectators, and all tournament-related costs must be disclosed promptly.
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However, organizers can hold larger, profit-making tournaments if they get a license from Nintendo. This indicates that larger events that already have a license should not be impacted by the new rules.

Nintendo's guidelines have provoked a mixed response, illustrating the complex dynamic between the company and its competitive community, particularly the Super Smash Bros. contingent. Some have expressed fears for the fate of tournaments for games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, while others are concerned about the guidelines' impact on accessibility, given the prohibition on using gaming equipment not licensed by Nintendo. This action could potentially exclude gamers with disabilities who rely on third-party accessories.

Despite the worrying implications, some argue that these regulations are not unlike those in other professional licensed esports, and that they could be a response to past controversies, pushing Nintendo to exert more control over tournaments involving their games. What remains to be seen is whether this update will result in a further widening of the rift between Nintendo and its competitive community.