Is Smash Bros An Esport?

The competitive nature of Smash Bros. has led many to wonder if the game could be considered an esport. Here’s a look at the arguments for and against.

What is Smash Bros?

Super Smash Bros. is a series of crossover fighting video games published by Nintendo, and primarily features characters from various Nintendo franchises. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The gameplay objective differs from that of traditional fighters by aiming to increase damage through weakening an opponent until they are knocked off the stage.

The original Super Smash Bros., released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, had 12 playable characters and featured basic multiplayer gameplay. However, later releases have successfully built upon and expanded the series with new gameplay features and characters. Super Smash Bros. Melee, released in 2001 for the GameCube, featured 26 playable characters and became the first game in the series to be played professionally in tournaments. Brawl, released in 2008 for the Wii, introduced a story mode called “The Subspace Emissary”, which is considered one of the best story modes ever made for a fighting game. For 3DS and Wii U, both released in 2014, introduces an eighth generation of video game consoles plyability to the series while bringing back some fan favorite stages and items to return One of newest addition, amiibo functionality was also included in this release allowing players to train computer-controlled figurines which can be used to fight against other players online or offline..

The History of Smash Bros

Super Smash Bros. is a series of crossover fighting games published by Nintendo, that primarily features characters from franchises established on its systems. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The first game in the series, Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, was released in 1999. The most recent entry, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. The games typically feature quirky characters and settings from various Nintendo franchises, as well as guest characters from third-party franchises.

The original game

Super Smash Bros. is a series of fighting games published by Nintendo, and primarily features characters from various Nintendo franchises. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The gameplay objective differs from that of traditional fighters in that the aim is to knock opponents off the stage instead of reducing their health to zero. The original Super Smash Bros., released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, had 12 playable characters and featured basic multiplayer options.

The first game in the series was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64 home video game console. It featured twelve playable characters from various Nintendo video game franchises, with Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Fox McCloud, Samus Aran, Kirby, Pikachu and Jigglypuff as the starter characters. The game had a simple story: after being invited to a birthday party by Nintendo’s mascot Mario, players control one of the attendees in a fight against all others at the party; if playing with more than one human player, players form teams. The original Super Smash Bros. was well-received by critics and fans alike and went on to sell over five million copies worldwide.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Melee, released in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, is the second installment of the Super Smash Bros. series and the follow-up to Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. The game features a total of 25 playable characters, including all 12 from the original game and eight new additions: Bowser and Princess Peach from the Mario series; Dr. Mario, Falco Lombardi, and Fox McCloud from the Star Fox series; Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda series; Ice Climbers from the Ice Climber series; Jigglypuff from the Pokémon series; Kirby from the Kirby series; Link from The Legend of Zelda series; Luigi from the Mario series; Marth and Roy from the Fire Emblem series; Mr. Game & Watch from various Game & Watch games; Ness and Lucas from EarthBound/Mother 3 (requiring Ness’s amiibo or Lucas’s amiibo to be scanned respectively); Pikachu from the Pokémon series; Sheik from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (requiring Zelda’s amiibo to be scanned); Samus Aran and Zero Suit Samusfrom Metroid (requiring Samus’s amiibo or Zero Suit Samus’s amiibo to be scanned respectively); Yoshifrom the Yoshi franchise (requiring Yoshi’s amiibo to be scanned); Captain Falconfrom F-Zero(33rd on 100 Best Games list by Edge); and Young Linkfrom The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask(42nd on 100 Best Games list by Edge).

The inclusion of Bowser, Dr. Mario, Falco, Ganondorf, Jigglypuff, Kirby, Luigi, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Ness, Peach, Pikachu, Roy, Sheik, Yoshi, and Captain Falcon expanded upon both Brawl’s roster size as well as its representation among third-party gaming franchises — prior to their appearance in Melee only two third-party franchises were represented in Brawl (Sonic and Metal Gear Solid) with three additional franchises having one representative each in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Brawland Super Smash Bros. 4 (Mega Man X with Zero as an unlockable character representing Capcom,[1] Pac-Man representing Namco,[2]and Street Fighter with Ryu as an unlockable character representing Capcom[3]).

Melee features a greatly increased number of single player modes over its predecessor.[4][5] In addition to Classic Mode returning essentially unchanged (though with some alterations such as adding screen transitions between stages) Adventure Mode was included for the first time which featured side scrolling platform sections between select fights against opponents.[6][7] Event Matches also made their franchise debut in Melee where players must complete various specific objectives such as defeating Detective Pikachu on Pokemon Stadium within a time limit.[8] There are a total of 51 Event Matches featured in Melee which include “Past Events” that are unlocked after completing all current events.[9] Event 51 (“All-Star Match”) serves as an epilogue for Adventure Mode after it is completed.[10][11] Unlike future installments starting with Brawl onwards all Event Matches can be played with any number of human players simultaneously though computer controlled opponents may still appear solo depending on how many human players are competing.[10][12][13]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a fighting game for the Wii console. It was developed by Matching Visions and published by Nintendo. The game was released on March 9, 2008 in North America, June 26, 2008 in Japan, and July 4, 2008 in Europe.

The third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, Brawl expanded upon the gameplay of its predecessors with a variety of new features. One of the most notable additions was the inclusion of third-party characters from other video game franchises, such as Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid and Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega’s Sonic series.

While the game received generally positive reviews from critics, its elaborate development cycle and lack of significant innovation drew some critique. Despite this, Brawl was a commercial success, selling over 13 million copies worldwide.

Following its release, Brawl became a subject of widespread tournaments and competitions known as “Smashfests”. These events have helped to establish the game as an early example of an esports title. In particular, it has been instrumental in popularizing competitive gaming among a wider audience.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the fifth installment of the Super Smash Bros. series, and was developed by Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Games. The game was announced at E3 2013, and was released in North America on November 21, 2014, in Europe on November 28, 2014, and in Japan on December 6, 2014. The game features a number of new modes, stages, and characters, including the return of Sheik and Zero Suit Samus as playable characters.

The Competitive Scene

Super Smash Bros. has a long and storied history in the competitive gaming scene. From its humble beginnings as a game played at Nintendo game stores to its current status as one of the most popular games in the world, Smash Bros has come a long way. But is it an esport? Let’s take a look.

Tournaments

Smash Bros. has a long and storied competitive scene that has been around since the days of the original game on the Nintendo 64. While it has never been an “official” esport, there have been many large and well-organized tournaments held for all the different games in the series over the years.

The competitive scene for Smash Bros. is unique in that it is organized around individual games in the series, rather than the franchise as a whole. This is because each game in the series has slightly different mechanics and gameplay, meaning that players have to focus on mastering one game at a time if they want to be competitive.

The biggest tournament series for Smash Bros. are usually organized around specific games in the series. For example, there is currently a large tournament circuit for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which is the latest game in the series. Other popular tournament circuits have existed for games such as Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in the past.

While there is no official governing body for Smash Bros. tournaments, there are some notable organizations that help to organize and run many of the biggest events. The two largest and most well-known organizations are probably Major League Gaming (MLG) and evasion7 (evo).

Smash Bros. has been featured at evo, one of the largest fighting game tournaments in the world, several times over the years. The first time was in 2013, when Super Smash Bros. Melee was included as an official tournament game alongside titles such as Street Fighter IV and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Since then, evo has also featured Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (in 2015) and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (in 2019).

As for MLG, they have hosted several large tournaments for different games in the Smash Bros. series over the years, but they have never included any of the games as an official tournament title at their annual pro gaming event, MLG Anaheim (which was previously known as “MLG Pro Circuit”).

Leagues

The top level of play for Melee and Brawl is the “tournament scene,” in which players of all skill levels travel to compete in weekend-long events that usually span several days. The scene is strongest in North America, Europe, and Japan, with a growing presence in Latin America, Oceania, and South Korea. In all of these regions, a small number of highly skilled players earn the majority of tournament wins.

Can Smash Bros Be an Esport?

Super Smash Bros. has been a fan favorite for years. It’s a game that anyone can pick up and play, but is also complex enough to be highly competitive. With the release of the latest installment, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, many are wondering if the game has what it takes to be an esport. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of Smash Bros. as an esport.

The Pros

When it comes to determining if a game can be an eSport, there are a few key factors to consider. The first is the competitive scene. Does the game have a large enough and dedicated enough competitive scene to support professional play? The second factor is the spectator element. Is the game entertaining enough to watch for those who are not playing? The third factor is whether or not the game has staying power. In other words, will people still be playing and watching the game in five years?

When it comes to Smash Bros., all of these factors point to it being a viable eSport. The competitive scene for Smash Bros. is massive and continues to grow every year. There are multiple professional tournaments with large prize pools that are held every year, and theviewership numbers for these tournaments continue to grow as well. In addition, Smash Bros. has a long history dating back to 1999, which suggests that it has staying power as a franchise.

The Cons

The answer to this question is a resounding no, and there are a few key reasons why. First and foremost, the game simply isn’t designed with competition in mind. There are too many random elements, from the items that appear on the stage to the way characters can be knocked off the edge, that can swing a match in one players favor.

Second, the game lacks a robust tagging system that would allow for players to queue up for tournaments or ladders and find opponents of similar skill level. Without this kind of system in place, it’s hard for players to get better and harder for casual fans to follow along with the competitive scene.

Lastly, Super Smash Bros. simply isn’t popular enough to be viable as an esport. The game doesn’t have the large player base necessary to support a thriving competitive scene, and it doesn’t have the spectator appeal needed to draw in viewers who aren’t already diehard fans of the series.

Conclusion

When it comes to whether or not Smash Bros is an esport, there are pros and cons to the argument. On one hand, the game does have a competitive scene with players that take the game seriously. On the other hand, the game is not yet recognized by major esports organizations as an official esport. Ultimately, whether or not Smash Bros is an esport is up for debate.