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Alright so bit of a thread/rant incoming on Smash here-
Is Nintendo right to do what they're doing, canning Big House over modded copies of Melee? Well yes and no. It's pretty complex and the lack of solutions isn't JUST a Nintendo issue- it's a cultural corporate issue.
Is Nintendo right to do what they're doing, canning Big House over modded copies of Melee? Well yes and no. It's pretty complex and the lack of solutions isn't JUST a Nintendo issue- it's a cultural corporate issue.
Think of it like this: you make a game, it gains immense internet popularity, and fosters a thriving in-person community. You want to drive continuous sales of that game, right? So you protect the hell out of that copyright, as a massive company, to keep it as pure as possible.
Then along comes a mod claiming to implement stable online netcode YOUR version doesn't offer, meaning it competes with your version. In fact your original version never HAD online, let alone a netcode. So what do you do? Either you re-release it, or you shut that down.
What's stopping Nintendo from re-releasing Melee on modern consoles with good netcode? Many things. Smash staff that made Melee are no longer fully together, and the Smash team is busy with Ultimate DLC/content. If you somehow got them together, yes, it can be ported...
... but then you have Smash cannibalism. 2 games competing for the same market space on the same console. A divide in competitive followings. Ultimate was made for ALL Smash fans. Nintendo wants it to be their catch-all. So porting Melee is basically out of the question for them.
Why not hire on the Slippi team to develop better netcode for Bandai-Namco and Nintendo, then? Pride. Japanese netcode pride has held back TONS of fighting games in the past. Street Fighter, Tekken, Guilty Gear prior to Strive, Marvel prior to Infinite... all used their own code.
Companies have got no excuse to not use netcode in most hardcore fighting game series nowadays but Smash is seen more as a party game by its developers and publishers than a fighting game. They use what they do not because it's optimal, just because it's contained & is simple
Is this a good justification? Lol hell no, but they would need to redesign the entirety of Smash Ult around Rollback if it were ever implemented. It's not as easy as copy/pasting code. And how on earth would Wi-fi users factor in? Fucking nightmarish.
I'm bummed Nintendo saw no other solution from this mess but we gotta be real here: Nintendo has archaic values and they're focused on money. Melee isn't bringing them profit if the largest tournament of the season is built on a pirated copy. It brings good will...
... and sadly Nintendo sure ain't looking for good will. I feel for everyone impacted by the shutdown of Big House but we gotta suck it up and if you want to protest this behavior just keep doing it with your wallets. It's the only way they'll listen and/or respond, really.