Nintendo kills Splatoon esports stream for #FreeMelee support

Steven Rondina Published 06/12/2020

Nintendo is reducing its coverage of Splatoon esports for some highly questionable reasons.

Administrators announced that Nintendo was canceling the stream for the Splatoon 2 North America Open due to an “unexpected execution challenge” on the event’s Discord channel. Many are calling foul at this, as it follows a number of competitors changing their team names to voice their solidarity with the Super Smash Bros. Melee pro players recently impacted by Nintendo’s legal action against tournament organizers.

Kind of funny that they’ll sever their own “support” that they love to parade around as something so fantastic, just because the Splatoon community wanted to stand in solidarity with the other scenes that Nintendo outright harms.#freemelee #savesmash pic.twitter.com/3F77b19pDE
— Slimy (@SlimyQuagsire) December 5, 2020

The tournament will still take place, but people within the competitive Splatoon scene are asking whether Nintendo is effectively sabotaging its own tournament in order to downplay the #FreeMelee and #SaveSmash movements. This led to both Smash Bros. hashtags trending once again on Twitter, alongside the new #FreeSplatoon, and the Discord server being locked down so that nobody can post new messages to it.

A number of squads throughout the event paid homage to the Smash Bros. community. The top four included teams with the name FTWaveDash, Melee Nation, and Slippi. Slippi is a reference to a third-party online matchmaking service for Super Smash Bros. Melee that Nintendo took legal action to prevent being streamed.

The #Splatoon2 North American Open December 2020 tournament kicks off tomorrow at 10am PT! Ready to take home that trophy? ????

Stay fresh and register your squad here: https://t.co/qLvEKqP0oe pic.twitter.com/BY3OFZrRHd
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 4, 2020

What does #FreeMelee mean?

In November, #FreeMelee trended worldwide on Twitter after Nintendo issued a cease and desist to halt a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament set to be hosted by the Big House. The cancellation of the Melee tournament ultimately led to the entire event being shuttered.

The move from Nintendo stemmed from the Big House’s use of Slippi to allow online matchmaking in Melee, which was released in 2001 and does not have any online support. Slippi works with backup saves of Melee played through emulators, but this theoretically shouldn’t be concerning for Nintendo as Melee is an almost 20-year-old game that Nintendo has not supported since release.

Due to travel and public gathering restrictions, Slippi is currently the only way to safely host a Melee tournament. Slippi’s network system is also regarded by many as superior to that of Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch.

The cancellation of The Big House’s Smash event ignited simmering frustration among the pro Smash Bros. community regarding Nintendo’s lack of support for the game. This saw almost every notable western pro player in the series come out to condemn Nintendo’s decision.

Now just weeks removed from the initial incident, Nintendo still seems to be defiant regarding the cease and desist leveled against tournament organizers. That means there’s likely no end in sight to this situation, and that’s unfortunate news for Smash Bros. pros and the game’s community alike.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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