Rollback netcode for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl confirmed by developer

A Ludosity developer has confirmed that Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl will have state-of-the-art rollback netcode powering online play.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, a crossover platform fighter featuring classic Nick characters, was revealed on July 13. All-Star Brawl is scheduled to release sometime in the fall of 2021. Online battles between Spongebob, Invader Zim, and Nigel Thornberry will feel silky smooth thanks to rollback netcode, which has been confirmed for the game’s final release.

Rollback netcode is an online connection framework that allows a game to retroactively apply inputs from laggy moments. Rollback is considered a must-have feature for modern fighting games. Some American developers have been using rollback netcode since the early 2010s, but Japanese developers are slower to adopt the new technology. Popular games with rollback netcode include Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat 11, and the recently released Guilty Gear Strive.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate’s online play does not use rollback. Ultimate’s online uses delay-based netcode with a very large amount of input delay. Nintendo’s crossover fighter has gotten small improvements to its netcode over the years, but nothing major. 

 Netcode was a part of the official announcement but developers in the official Ludosity Discord confirmed that Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl will have rollback netcode on “supported platforms.” All current and past generation consoles and PCs can support rollback netcode. Rollback netcode must be decided on fairly early in the game development process and the trailer shows a decent amount of gameplay.

Who is developing Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl?

Ludosity is a Swedish indie game studio best known for the platforming Ittle Dew series and platform fighter Slap City. The independent developer has experience with crossover platform fighters. Slap City is Ludosity’s own riff on the Super Smash Bros formula. 

The gameplay shown in the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl trailer looks very similar to Slap City, suggesting shared engines and possible gameplay mechanics.

While Slap City is fun to pick up and play, the game has several advanced techniques including wavedashing, L-canceling, and dash dancing. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl could feel closer to Super Smash Bros Melee than Ultimate.