Nintendo is Nintendo. Good and bad. And when it comes to esports, there are many decisions from them that always surprise… Today we have a new decision that will not leave anyone indifferent. From now on, New guidelines governing “community” esports tournaments in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. video game series have gone into effect.although there has been criticism of this change.

Nintendo has added limits on the maximum size and monetization options for unlicensed events, which critics say further reduces the ability to hold smaller tournaments. The changes were first announced on October 24 and went into effect on November 15.

“Community tournaments” are exempt from the usual requirements for obtaining a license from Nintendo that allows organizers to host tournaments in their games. Designed to make it easier to organize grassroots events, these guidelines place limits on how large such tournaments can be.

But new guidelinespublished on Nintendo’s sites in North America, the UK, and Japan, further reducing the criteria for what is considered a community tournament. Community tournaments are now prohibited from having more than 200 participants (300 for online tournaments), with an entry fee capped at £18 ($20 in the US). Additionally, the prize pool cannot exceed £4,500 ($5,000) or exceed £9,000 ($10,000) in any 12 month period.

Tournaments are also not allowed to generate profits (excess money must be returned to participants or spectators) and Tournament organizers cannot accept money or property from event sponsors. Even High school charity events must receive written permission from Nintendo to operateaccording to a Q&A session in Nintendo’s new guidelines article.

Nintendo is the only game developer that has consistently not only been disinterested in and unsupportive of its long-time dedicated competitive players, but will do everything it can to destroy them.

Journalist and esports analyst Rod Breslau at X.

I think it’s very fair to say that Nintendo just killed Smash esports. If no exceptions are allowed by Nintendo, these restrictions will have a very detrimental impact on the Smash ecosystem. What remains to be seen is how liberal Nintendo will be in handing out exceptions.

Harris Peskin, esports attorney at ESG Law, in a post on X

Most game publishers have criteria that outline the maximum size and revenue a small-scale grassroots event can achieve before requiring a permit to operate. However, Nintendo’s criteria are considered much stricter than other publishers..

Additionally, Esports News UK reports that licenses are not currently available in Europe, with a “very limited” number available in Nintendo’s home country of Japan. The news comes after Smash World Tour 2023 was canceled last year after Nintendo refused to grant a license to tournament organizers, a decision that sparked widespread backlash.

Nintendo has long been criticized for its aggressive approach to esports, which has led to Nintendo tightly controlling who and how esports events run using its titles.