Nintendo isn't exactly known for being receptive to fan projects. In fact, outside of limited experiences they release, the Japanese console maker is downright ruthless in shutting down fan projects. Quick to file legal action against modsജ and fan creations, Nintendo has been🐻 criticized by its biggest supporters. It's especially jarring when comparing the Switch maker to some other publishers.
This has become more apparent as Nintendo constantly finds itself at the center of controversy for its draconian practices. Most recently, they took legal action against a fan-made 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mario 64 PC port that updated the title's 1998 graphics to modern 4K visuals. This is nothing new for the House of Mario, however, as they made headlines prior to this: the company drew criticism for its handling of the fan-made Pokémon Uranium and Pixelmon — both of which were shut down quickly.
Maybe Nintendo should look to Sega, who appears to be extremely receptive to unlicensed Sonic The Hedgehog games. This mindset dates back to 2016, when the publisher actually announced on the168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Sonic The Hedgehog Twitter account that they want creators to make quality content. Games like Green Hill Paradise Act 2, Sonic Fan Remix, and others have not only been active for years, but even received praise by Sega as well. Some of those passionate fan game makers have even gotten hired by the publisher. Christian Whitehead is a perfect example of this: originally known as a Sonic fan who created some popular unlicensed games featuring the Blue Blur, he found himself working for Sega and helping the company port some of their classic games to smartphones. He eventually worked on Sonic Mania, along with other creators from the Sonic fan community, turning it into on🦂e of the most universally loved titles in the franchise.
Sonic The Hedgehog is Sega's biggest franchise, yet, even with all of these fan projects releasing consistently, it hasn't hurt the sales for mainline games. Instead, the community around the series is vibrant, creative, and happy. Full of fan art, fan-games, music, and mo♏re, the community that Sega's fostered over the years is a vibrant one.
They're far from the only publisher to adopt this method, however. In fact, Valve did this way before Sega. Shortly after the success of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Half-Life, fans began modding the game. While that's nothing new when it comes to PC titles, one particular mod caught the attention of players on a much larger scale. Valve caught wind of it, and eventually, they purchased the mod, hired the creators, and released it as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Counter-Strike. Now, t꧂he ser꧙ies is one of the most popular in the company's library, and to this day, fan-made content is a huge reason why players come back.
Yet, there are other ways of letting the fans feel like they're part of the community. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Sims, one of the most accessible titles in the gaming industry, has a reputation for being a game that fans can influence. By regularly holding votes, EA lets players pick what additions come in each expansion, ranging from things as small as clothing to as big as gameplay. While not as extreme as Sega or Valve, this method 𒈔allows fans to feel like they're ❀more than just consumers.
This mindset could change some of the resentment fans feel regarding who Nintendo chooses to join the cast of fighters in Super Smash Bros., especially. Sure, there was a lot of excitement regarding the additions of Metroid's Ridley - or even Banjo and Kazooie - but the kerfuffle over the number of Fire Emblem characters could have been avoided.
Still, Nintendo may be on the verge of changing. As mentioned previously, they do sometimes release content that allows players to make levels: in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Remastered and Mario Maker, players can build their own levels. However, they've gotten hea👍ps of criticism for how restrictive these modes are to begin with, and that's not a way to encourage a creative fanbase to flex their muscles.
Instead, Nintendo should look to their old rival and some of their publishing contemporaries to see that when fans are🌳 encouraged to create, they can make for a he♏althier community full of potential assets. At the very least, allowing some input could let some of their more vocal critics to lower their voices.