
In this instance, it was the "use of illegally copied versions of the game" as well as Slippi that Nintendo took issue with. In a statement to Kotaku, a Nintendo spokesperson said the company "appreciates the love and dedication" for Smash Bros among the fighting game community, and highlighted that not only has it partnered with various tournaments - both online and offline - in the past, but will continue to do so in the future.

"We are forced to comply with the order and cancel The Big House Online for both Melee and Ultimate. "Sadly, all our competitions are affected. "We were informed we do not have permission to host or broadcast the event, primarily due to the usage of Slippi," the team said in a statement via Twitter. The Big House intended to use this, but Nintendo of America issued a cease and desist order to block the event. One such mod is Slippi, which was released earlier this year and improves the online infrastructure in a way that makes it smooth enough for competitive matches. The latter launched without online functionality, which means tournaments often have to rely on Dolphin, a GameCube and Wii emulator, with fan-made modifications. The tournament was to focus on Switch title Smash Bros Ultimate and fan favourite GameCube outing Smash Bros Melee.


Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 event was set to take place online, running from December 4 to 6. The Big House is an annual US Smash Bros fan convention that's been running since 2011. Nintendo has blocked an independent Super Smash Bros tournament due to the organisers' use of mods and, according to the platform holder, illegal copies of the game.
