Why Smash Switch is so important
As everyone knows, last week we got confirmation that Super Smash Bros. is coming to the Nintendo Switch—this year, no less. With that confirmation, the community is alive with an excitement that we haven’t experienced in a long time. Though no one really needs me to say it, the release of Smash Switch will be an incredibly important turning point for our scene. Not just because it’s the chance to grow even larger… But because we’ve messed up a LOT — this is our chance to fix it.
Bayonetta
As I wrote last month, the issue of Bayonetta was handled poorly by pretty much everyone with power and reach. Whether you think she’s broken or not, the fact of the matter is that people are frustrated. By addressing the wrong parts of the complaints — whether that was telling people to learn how to fight her (which doesn’t directly help frustrated spectators) or giving descriptive SDI advice (which is great for some players, but doesn’t help them succeed in neutral) — we only worsened the problem. You could argue that the results of EGLX didn’t blow up this time due to people looking forward to Smash Switch as a solution (that and Midwest Mayhem 11 the night before).
If we ever end up in a situation like this again, where the best character in the game is also frustrating to fight or watch, we have to act differently. No blaming people for being frustrated. Work directly with the players of all levels in your scene to help them win with their characters (because remember, this is a game where character attachment is big). Help commentators understand and communicate mistakes to the point where how to avoid certain situations is common knowledge. Finally, if the character becomes extremely dominant over the rest of the cast, don’t make the mistakes of Brawl either.
As an aside, as much as ZeRo is thought to be the source of a lot of Bayonetta hate, his commentary when CaptainZack was playing at Midwest Mayhem is the *perfect* example of what I mean regarding commentary. When a commentator is frustrated, they can pass that mood on to their audience. But if they’re hyped, they can pass that on too.
Same-y viewer experience
Because Smash Switch is a new title (that could be a new game or a port), it’s naturally going to attract more players and more viewers. Double that since it’s on the Switch, which is already one of Nintendo’s most successful consoles. This means that people are going to get hyped off of amazing initial numbers for whatever it is they’re doing. But do not be fooled — this is not the time to kick back and relax.
Beyond improving the production values for what we’re already doing, this is the perfect time to experiment with entirely new formats and experiences. One of the biggest reasons Smash Summit succeeds is because they appeal to the viewers of the event — not just the people who attend. They care about concurrent views (the number of viewers that are watching consistently), not just the peak views (the most viewers at a specific point in time). Following Summit’s example and focusing on entertaining viewers will ensure viewership stays high after the initial boost Smash Switch brings.
Building better storylines
The absence of ZeRo from Smash 4 makes me think a lot about how Smash 4 and Melee are honestly pretty similar. In Smash 4, the biggest storyline was always “who can defeat ZeRo?” Melee’s biggest storyline is basically ZeRo times five (so the same thing). Plup’s rise was always centered around whether he could beat all four gods + Leffen. So when he finally beat Armada, the one person he could never beat, the crowd was ecstatic. When he finally took Genesis 5 over everyone, spectators everywhere were over the moon.
What I’m saying is — the biggest storylines in Smash are always centered around the people at the top. That absolutely makes sense, but there’s also rarely anything as interesting below that level. Everyone is going to talk about aMSa, or Zain, or MKLeo, and while their stories are important and interesting, they wouldn’t be able to carry their games alone in the way that the gods/ZeRo can. That means that we have to build more stories and better stories to give people a reason to tune into *any* event.
That means more supplemental content (which falls on the TOs and any content creators who want to help out), more knowledge/narration (which falls on commentators), and showing more unique personality (which falls on everyone, including the players).
Personal content creation
If the rest of this post didn’t apply to you, this part might. There are a lot of people who were never able to grow an audience for their content with previous games. Smash Switch — whether it’s a brand new game or a port — will make it easier for you to try again. Yes, the big shots now will have the biggest chance then. But with the increased viewership at the game’s launch, there will be more total viewers looking for new content. Start now and make a consistent schedule. Experiment. Figure out what makes you unique. Are you good at using an uncommon character? Are you and your friends funny? So on.
When Smash Switch comes out, you’ll want to hit the ground running. Figure out what you can promote *now*, and then bring it in full force when Smash Switch comes out later this year. Don’t make the mistake of waiting — this is your big chance.
Just as Nintendo showed with the transition from the Wii U to the Switch, past mistakes can lead to future successes. So whether it’s for our scene, ourselves, or both, it’s the perfect time to take Smash to the next level.
