Playing a Super Smash Bros. game competitively has always involved some degree of participation in the grassroots fighting game community. Whether on the local level against players in the same city or state, on a regional level against multiple states, or at a major with international talent, there's opportunities all across the U.S. (and the world) to play in tournaments. Unlike traditional fighters like Street Fighter or Tekken, where there's plenty to be gained by grinding online or sitting in training room, the best experience in playing Smash competitively is generally experienced through tournaments. However, Nintendo has rarely supported these grassroots tournaments.
Oftentimes Nintendo has run its own casual-leaning tournaments during major industry events or online, but most professional players are generally more accustomed to a competitor-friendly format. Major tournaments, and more recently tournament circuits, have been reserved for private endeavors by various esports organizations, even partnering with Twitch. However, Nintendo has rarely sponsored events for Super Smash Bros. tournaments outside of its own wheelhouse, and even when certain events like CEO or Genesis were co-sponsored by Nintendo, it didn't amount to much more than endorsement. However, that could change with Panda Global's new 2022 circuit.
Panda Global's History with Super Smash Bros.
Panda Global is an esports organization that's got its hand in multiple fighting game communities, with sponsored players for Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and various other games over the years. Before expanding into various other fighting games, speedrunning, and other gaming communities, the team got its start sponsoring some of the best Super Smash Bros. players. ESAM, MVD, and (formerly) SS joined the team's Smash representatives, as well as bringing on EVO winner Filipino Champ for a few years.
Even though Panda Global has since expanded its reach into various different aspects of competitive gaming, it all started with Super Smash Bros. This is exactly why the company inking a deal with Nintendo directly, to sponsor a brand new tournament circuit for Super Smash Bros., is a landmark moment. Generally speaking, Nintendo has always maintained a critical distance from grassroots tournament organizers in the Super Smash Bros. competitive community. Even when events were being sponsored by Twitch, and players were being sponsored by huge esports teams like C9 or Team Liquid, Nintendo had rarely publicly acknowledged Smash's competitive scene.
Nintendo Backing Competitive Super Smash Bros. is Promising
Until 2015, some of the biggest tournaments were entirely organized and funded by passionate fans. Unlike other big fighting games like Street Fighter, which is supported by the Capcom Pro Tour league, the pro scene of Super Smash Bros. never received the same treatment. Big tournament series like Genesis, Pound, Apex, R.O.M. (Revival of Melee), The Big House, Super Smash Con, and various other major tournaments wouldn't exist without the fan communities behind them. Even the Smash World Tour, the premier competitive Super Smash Bros. tournament circuit, didn't have the financial backing or support necessary to exist until 2020/2021.
Nintendo has co-sponsored Super Smash Bros. tournaments in a limited capacity previously, but to co-sponsor an entire competitive circuit for 2022 is a huge step for the company. Making this announcement in November shows that, this time, things could be very different with Nintendo working cooperatively with Panda Global. While the intricacies of this partnership are yet to be revealed, it's clear this is a huge step that could be very promising for the Super Smash Bros. competitive scene. For Nintendo to actively recognize Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and even more surprisingly Super Smash Bros. Melee's competitive scene, is unprecedented.
Previously, Nintendo has had a penchant for stifling the competitive growth of Super Smash Bros. as an officially supported esport. There are numerous examples of this throughout Nintendo's history; like when Nintendo issued a cease and desist to The Big House Online Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament for issues of "piracy of its intellectual property," related to the use of Slippi to facilitate an online SSBM tournament. Project Slippi, being the only online alternative to host a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament online during the Covid-19 pandemic, was deemed a threat to Nintendo's IP. Many fans reacted negatively to Nintendo because of the tournaments cancellation.
To officially license a tournament circuit, for both competitive Super Smash Bros. games with cash prizes for winners, is a sign that things could be changing. While some top players and commentators have expressed some wariness of this announcement based on the past, this is still a very exciting prospect for fans and competitors in the pro scene. Panda Global has been a trusted pillar of the Super Smash Bros. competititve community ever since it was formed back in 2015. With Nintendo backing Panda Global with confidence, it's clear this upcoming 2022 tournament circuit could be the start of a reinvigorated competitive scene for Super Smash Bros.