Amidst Controversy Concerning Nintendo's New Competitive Guidelines, Ludwig Reveals He Was Handed C&D From Nintendo For 'Smash' Tournament

Earlier this week, Nintendo sent a chill through the spine of the Super Smash Brothers community when it introduced a seemingly strict set of guidelines for holding competitive tournaments that, among other things, forbid small tournament organizers from turning a profit and limited the entry size and prize pools for minor tournaments both online and in person — any tournament outside those guidelines would need to obtain a license from Nintendo.

Upon the announcement, many in the scene imagined the guidelines would make for the death of competitive Smash, though that initially gloomy take has lightened a bit in recent days as organizers of regional tournaments have reported that Nintendo has been quick to grant licenses to tournaments that meet their guidelines. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, prominent Smash figure Hungrybox vowed he would continue running his weekly Coinbox tournament, which often features hundreds of entrants in its Ultimate and Super Smash Brothers Melee variants, in an apparent attempt to call Nintendo on their bluff.

Gigabox @LiquidHbox pic.twitter.com/B3MV721gfQ

— Polypuff (@polypuff) October 24, 2023

However, a story from YouTuber and Smash fan Ludwig likely puts a damper on the defiance the community has shown regarding the new guidelines.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel yesterday, Ludwig explained how he was "sued" by Nintendo for a Melee tournament he hosted in July as part of his "Ludwig Championship Series."

In the video, Ludwig explains that Nintendo sent him a Cease and Desist for running a modified version of Super Smash Brothers Melee that "froze" the Pokémon Stadium stage. Normally, Pokémon Stadium begins as a flat stage with two platforms but transforms into various, uneven environments reflecting the diversity of Pokémon regions. Normally for competitive play, eligible stages are flat with as little variation and extra hazards as possible (hence the long-standing, if flawed belief that Final Destination, which is one flat panel, is the "purest" stage). This is why Ludwig employed a modded version of Melee did away with the transformations, making it more akin to the Hazards Off version of Pokémon Stadium 2 in Ultimate.

"Leffen was losing very badly to Cody Schwab, he had 110%, Cody had 14%. Transformation came up and Leffen using the back wall got a huge combo and ended up beating Cody and winning the tournament," Ludwig offered as an explanation for why he wanted a "frozen" Pokémon Stadium.

Ultimately, Ludwig used the unmodified version of Melee and that appears to have been the end of Nintendo's legal threat against Ludwig (making the claim they "sued" him a bit inaccurate).

The story likely indicates that major online tournaments of Melee are done for, as they require mods not licensed by Nintendo. The Gamecube, which is the only console Melee is on, does not have online capabilities. Hungrybox posted the same day as Ludwig's video with a less optimistic outlook on his Melee Coinbox tournament.