angry mario


Nintendo has a history of quashing its fans dreams. A few weeks ago, Nintendo shut down an online Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament for using a third-party program to add contemporary features to the decades-old game, claiming the emulator was illegal.


Just a few days ago, Nintendo canceled a Splatoon 2 livestream because its players were standing in solidarity with the Melee community, and now they're pissing off even more fans by copyright striking all of their game soundtracks on YouTube.


They just don't want anyone to enjoy their products outside of their intended uses, even if doing so could expand their fanbase.



Companies like Capcom have much of their games’ soundtracks on Spotify for fans to enjoy, but that’s obviously too much for Nintendo to manage. They’d rather make you jump through hoops to be able to listen to their in-game music. 


If Nintendo made these iconic soundtracks easier to access, fans wouldn’t have to take it upon themselves to make them accessible for others.



Even if Nintendo wanted to nickel and dime their fans with massive CD collections of Mario and Zelda soundtracks, that would offer a better solution than the way streamers have to dig for low-quality YouTube uploads to play in the background while they stream.



But rather than apologizing for their stringent defense of their IPs and beginning to understand modern media rights and platforms, Nintendo is doubling down on their villainy by actively playing defense against their creative community. 



How many more of these awful decisions do the Nintendo community have in them before they simply give up? What’s it going to take for Nintendo to realize they’re acting like idiots and learn from their contemporaries to treat their community well?


You’d never see Microsoft or Sony act like this, so why should Nintendo continue to get a pass? They shouldn't.