Gaming
Changes are coming in the next twelve months, from Nintendo and the community.
Smash Bros has had an incredible year yet again, despite on paper looking a lot quieter than 2015. DLC support forSmash 4 dried up at the start of the year, bignames missed large parts of the year due toinjury orvisa issues and Brawl/ Project M finally appeared to bite the dust, meaning this should have been a difficult year for the scene.
However, 2016 can be considered one of the most memorable years in Smash history, with even more high profile tournaments, major storylines and close competitions than ever. The dueling versions of Melee and Smash 4 managed to live side-by-side in relative harmony, while even the likes of Smash 64 saw something of a resurgence thanks to the growing popularity of the other titles at a competitive level.
But while 2016 was great for Smash, 2017 stands to be truly revolutionary. Nintendo seems to finally be embracing eSports properly, Smash Melee is still growing at an incredible rate despite being over 15-years-old, and while the future of the Wii U is not looking great, Smash 4's competitive scene is seeing some massive investment.
Time to Switch it up
The biggest change in 2017 for both major Smash games will inevitably be the launch of the Nintendo Switch, which has the potential to change everything. Current reports suggest that Nintendo is working on GameCube Virtual Console games for the Switch, with Smash Melee being one of the first three titles to be released on the service. This is huge – if it happens we could realistically see the entire scene move over to the new console.
It's not been confirmed yet if a GameCube controller adapter will be available for the Switch, but if it is, and Smash Melee is a true port of the original, then there's very little reason for the Switch not to become an important Melee platform, if not the main one. Sure, CRT televisions offer faster response times, but a new modern platform would bring a whole new audience into the scene – and make grassroots tournaments easier to organise.
But the Switch is a double-edged sword for the Smash scene. While it could give Melee a new lease of life, it could have a negative impact on Smash 4. If Melee is the only Smash game available on the Switch, it could end up becoming considerably more popular than Smash 4. While this wouldn't be disastrous for the newer title, it would surely stunt its growth and could put a stop to the positive momentum it's had this year.
Nintendo has teased either sequels or remakes of both Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 for the Switch; so far we've heard nothing about Smash 4 getting the same treatment.
Nintendo going all in on eSports
While the Switch has the potential to be a throne in the side of Smash 4, many are hoping that Nintendo's seemingly newfound love of eSports will result in them supporting the Wii U's scene a little more.
When Nintendo first unveiled the Switch in a short video, they gave a lot of time to eSports. Sure they showed off Splatoon in a competitive environment, rather than Smash, but it showed that they are finally starting to really care about eSports, and if they want to sell out arenas with the Switch then they're going to have to put some money behind it.
This should mean some resource and attention comes the way of Smash. Smash 4's scene is still growing, despite the poor performance of the Wii U, and slowly but surely it's establishing itself outside of the usual community. The eGames ran a Smash 4 tournament in Brazil and a new $100,000 circuit is in the works. More investment from Nintendo is exactly what Smash 4 needs to grow to the next level, and Nintendo's new found love of eSports could be what triggers them to do it.
Leffen and the changing field
In the world of Smash Melee, the five gods and William 'Leffen' Hjelte have dominated the last few years. Some have had bad periods and come back strong, but there's usually been one of these six players at the top of the scene at all times.
This year Leffen missed most of the major events thanks to issues with his American visa, Kevin 'PPMD' Nanney barely competed in any large events and Jason 'Mew2King' Zimmerman had a disappointing time compared to his usual level. This just left Joseph 'Mango' Marquez, Juan 'Hungrybox' Debiedma and Adam 'Armada' Lindgren to battle it out at most events.
But now things are returning to the old state of equilibrium. Leffen has his visa sorted and has been dominating events in the US, including the last major event of the year, Don't Park On The Grass. Mew2King is seemingly refocusing on attending fewer, but larger events, and it seems to be helping. While PPMD is still MIA, this means that heading into 2017 five of the six best players of all time are ready to go, and that should spell another competitive year.
Much, much more
While the big changes in 2017 are going to be coming directly from Nintendo, there's a lot that the community is changing in the world of Smash.
CEO Dreamland is a new Smash focused event from the organisers of CEO, and promises to become the next major event, with tournaments for all Smash titles and more. EVO is set to be bigger than ever, and Beyond the Summit will presumably return with more Smash Summits after the massive success they have had this year.
Elsewhere, despite details currently being thin on the ground, 2GGaming and eSports Arena announced a new $100,000 Smash 4 circuit and at the Future Game Summit in London, representatives from the eGames said they would like to work with Smash once again.
All of this should add up to 2017 being the biggest year in Smash's history. If Melee does end up on the Switch then its future is surely guaranteed for years, while Nintendo's new love of eSports should see them support the scene even more. It's a time of change, but right now, even as Nintendo prepares to put the Wii U on life support, that can only be a good thing for Smash.
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