User:ZeusDeeGoose/Drafts/Shadow tournament
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A shadow tournament, alternatively referred to as a shadow major, is a term often used to refer to Project M/Project+ tournaments that are unofficially affiliated with tournaments for other Smash games and effectively held in secret. While the term is typically used to refer to tournaments for Project M, shadow tournaments may also opt to host brackets for other modded Smash games, such as HewDraw Remix. As Nintendo is not keen on these mods existing and have taken active measures to shut down all support for them, organizers of their equivalent to major tournaments often discreetly hold these tournaments adjacent to more heavily advertised tournaments, using nothing more than the resources at their immediate disposal with no direct help from said advertised tournaments.[1]
The term "shadow tournament" begun seeing significant use after Undertow, a tournament which was hosted after Nintendo had sent a cease and desist to Riptide,[2] forbidding them from running a Project+ bracket officially, but the first notable shadow tournament was arguably Project M In The Big House 5, a tournament ran during The Big House 5 after Project M was dropped from its roster.[3] Due to their deliberately discreet nature, shadow tournaments are often difficult to document, but numerous have occurred over the history of the competitive scene.
Background[edit]
Project M is a mod for Super Smash Bros. Brawl that makes the gameplay of Brawl resemble that of it's predecessors; Melee and Smash 64, games lauded for their fast-paced, technical nature, which had spawned the two longest-lasting tournament scenes of any Smash game, and scenes that remain intact to date. Conversely, Brawl has received a divided reception in terms of it's competitive scene, with it being arguably the smallest Smash scene, even in it's heyday, and eventually being replaced with the release of Smash 4. It is frequently criticized for being the arguably least competitively viable Smash game, containing a far slower, more casual-friendly nature, notorious for it's severely unbalanced roster, removal and lack of advanced techniques, and a nearly non-existent combo game.
However, due to it's ease of modding enabled by the Smash Stack exploit, Brawl saw a variety of mods which attempted to improve it's competitive viability. The first among these were Balanced Brawl and Brawl+, which had drawn much attention from the wider competitive scene, but none had come close to the eventual release of Project M, and it's subsequent successor, Project+, successfully bridging the gap between Melee and Brawl, with many top Melee and Brawl players having respectable careers in Project M. Project M, and by extension, Project+, received universal acclaim, often being considered the definitive mod for Brawl, having received over 3 million downloads total, and is the only mod in Smash history to have received considerable attention from the media.
Nintendo is notable for having a strict stance against modding their games. The Smash scene is the most notable example of this, with a majority of mods being prohibited from being used at most tournaments. A few notable exceptions exist, such as UCF, but Project M is unique among mods, as it's a complete rework of Brawl's mechanics, rather than a simple quality-of-life fix. Many major tournaments were prevented from streaming Project M, to which many attribute to Nintendo's increasing involvement within the competitive scene; Chia, the founder of CLASH Tournaments, had stated that they were given one final Project M stream on Twitch. Additionally, Project M itself was discontinued later in 2015, with Mewtwo2000 citing fears of legal action against the mod, with the team opting to disband thereafter.[4]
During this turmoil, one of the tournaments affected the most was The Big House 5, which was planning to have one of the largest Project M tournaments ever, but then were forced to cancel it. Attendees that suddenly had their tournament eliminated then took matters into their own hands and, commandeering several hotel rooms in the venue[5] and using whatever setups they could get their hands on, hosted a special private tournament titled Project M In The Big House 5. As documentation of this event is intentionally limited, details are sparse, though the bracket contained heavy hitters like Plup, Bobby Frizz, and Delicious Octorock. This event is considered the earliest example of a shadow tournament, despite the term not being coined at the time.
Despite these setbacks, Project M had continued to have a present scene, albeit smaller than before, and many tournament organizers instead ran far more individualized events for Project M rather than as a side bracket. As such, Project M continued to live on, in spite of Nintendo's efforts to defame the game. The success of Project M would carry over into the release of the mod's successor, Project+, which served as an effective replacement for Project M, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, many post-pandemic tournaments had begun to prepare to host Project+, such as Riptide, Mainstage, and Low Tide City 2021. Right before these tournaments began, Nintendo unexpectedly sent a cease and desist to Riptide[6] and Low Tide City,[7] with Mainstage eventually dropping Project+ from it's roster,[8] to widespread backlash.[9] Riptide was especially notable, as it was not a Nintendo-endorsed event, which Nintendo typically did not directly target. However, a new tournament held at the same venue at Riptide would soon emerge; Undertow,[10] which was deliberately privatized, in an attempt to prevent further legal action from Nintendo. This tournament would go on to be the largest Project+ tournament of all time, and would birth the term "shadow major".
Qualities[edit]
As the concept of a shadow tournament is relatively new, there is no official constitution on the exact qualities of one. That being said, there are some generally agreed upon elements shared among them. Firstly, the tournament has to feature a mod for the Smash series or any other piece of software Nintendo openly disapproves of. The tournament also has to take place around the same time as another tournament that is exclusively hosting official Smash releases, sometimes even within the same venue. The mainstream Smash community attends the authorized tournament, while the underground community attends the shadow tournament. While both events are not affiliated in any official capacity for the most part, the mainstream community is often aware of the shadow tournament but looks the other way. This allows both communities to protect each other from Nintendo, as the mainstream community can have plausible deniability, while the underground community is leaner and more agile if they get caught.
The shadow tournament itself is not heavily advertised and operates on an extremely low budget. Though the name of the shadow tournament is often a cheeky reference to the mainstream tournament happening alongside it, the staff typically receives no official support from said tournament to keep the appearance of plausible deniability. Players even knowing these events exist is primarily done through word of mouth and having connections. Some shadow tournaments go as far as to outright lie about the game lineup, sometimes advertising itself as a Brawl tournament. The staff is usually completely different and the players often exclusively attend the shadow tournament, as well as the livestream being handled entirely by the organizers with no mentioned connection to the mainstream tournament happening nearby, if a livestream is even feasible for the tournament to begin with.
As of 2025, no notable shadow tournament has been targeted by Nintendo, and as such, it remains an effective strategy. However, it also comes at the cost of a general lack of popularity, as no Project+ tournament has been as popular as the largest Project M tournaments, but many have came close.
List of notable shadow tournaments[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Project+: The fan-made Smash game that refuses to die Article covering Project+ and shadow tournaments.
- ^ Nintendo Shuts Down Project+ Smash Bros. Tournament, Riptide
- ^ Big House 5 PM
- ^ Mewtwo2000 on Facebook
- ^ Reddit post announcing the event
- ^ Nintendo Forces Cancellation of Popular Annual Modded Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament
- ^ Nintendo shuts down three Smash events at Low Tide City Low Tide City cancels Project+, Beyond Melee, and 64 Remix tournaments
- ^ Mainstage follows in Riptide’s footsteps, cancels Project+ tourmament
- ^ Nintendo Back On Its Bullshit, Shuts Down Another Smash Bros. Tournament Update
- ^ Project+ organizers persist despite pressure from Nintendo
External links[edit]
- This Game Should Not Exist, a documentary by Wisely about Project M's history that additionally covers shadow tournaments.
