Smash Bros: Could Nintendo's new rules end esports competitions?

Nintendo's games have long been a source of fierce competition on the sofa at home.

And Super Smash Bros - its successful fighting series featuring a cast of characters including Mario, Donkey Kong and Pikachu - has spawned a global tournament scene.

But new rules announced by the Japanese gaming giant have got some fans worried that some contests could be shut down.

Nintendo says it's just trying to make things clearer.

The vibrant competitive scene includes school and university leagues right up to international tournaments with big cash prizes.

But fans tell BBC Newsbeat the strict new community guidelines - aimed at smaller events and which have now come into force - could have a huge impact.

Hugh, who plays in tournaments and also provides commentary, says events like the ones he goes to in London must now be not-for-profit and cannot have more than 200 participants.

The new rules also forbid having a sponsor, offering a prize of more than $5,000 (£4,000), and say people running the tournament aren't allowed to sell food or drinks.

Organisers say this will effectively ban the vast majority of competitions in their current form.

"It's extremely restricting and basically means you'll forever have that impending doom, that knife hanging on a thread over everyone's heads who want to try and invest into the Smash scene," says Hugh.

Tournaments will still be allowed if they don't meet these rules, but they will need to apply for special exception licences directly from Nintendo.

"This has really, really bothered me, and given me a much more negative view of Nintendo," says Hugh.

"I would imagine they would appreciate it, but clearly they don't like the way we enjoy their game. And I think that's quite hurtful."

Hugh says the growing UK Smash Bros scene has been a big part of his social life and was a real help for him once Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased.

"I've met loads of friends, and it's a real social centre, a really lovely community," he says.

"When I talk about why I go quite often, I say it's basically the same as going out for drinks after work, but you also have an activity to do with friends you really like."

Tom, who's better known in the online Smash Bros community as G-P, set up the Albion Games Café in Norwich.

As well as local events and competitions, he's also organised big tournaments across the UK, drawing in thousands of participants.

He says he's always had a good relationship with Nintendo, and in some cases its team in the UK has even loaned equipment to support his events.

So Tom thinks the company will strike the right balance when enforcing the rules.

He says that's because there's often a big difference between the rules set by Nintendo's bosses in Japan, and how local in-country teams actually police them.

But he does admit: "If this was to actually be enforced, it would completely shut down the social lives and social circles of thousands of people across the country.

"It's a genuinely huge community of people and it's not just your typical gamers."

Tom says his events reach people who might not have other social events and can struggle to make new friends in other settings, including a big community of players with autism.

"There's a huge range of people, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, different genders," he says.

"It's a complete melting pot of people that would all lose their community. It could be a huge blow if that ended up being affected."

Tom thinks making the new rules so strict will allow Nintendo to quickly ban any events it decides it doesn't like or feels are harming the brand, while still allowing those that help to build the fanbase.

While that probably will create more uncertainty for organisers like him, Tom isn't convinced that Nintendo will clamp down on something that ultimately benefits them.

"How can you police it?" he says. "If you have a gathering at your house and you order some pizzas, does that count?"

Tom's events are mainly based around Smash Bros Ultimate, the most recent version of the game.

The new rules appear to only allow tournament licenses to be obtained if the competition uses that Nintendo Switch instalment, but lots of major Smash Bros contests use older editions, such as the GameCube's Super Smash Bros Melee.

And others use hacked versions such as Project M, which was modified by fans. There are also concerns from fans with disabilities in response to one new element banning "unlicensed accessories".

Nintendo says the new rules are about making things clearer about what is and isn't allowed.

In a statement, a spokesperson told Newsbeat: "We have released these guidelines to clarify the types of game tournaments that our customers can organise without having to confirm with us individually so that they can hold game tournaments with peace of mind and also so that participants and spectators can participate in game tournaments with peace of mind."

Nintendo didn't provide answers to questions about enforcing the new rules, and on clarifying rules around food and drink in venues such as pubs.

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