Smash Together, an unofficial dating app designed for Super Smash Bros. enthusiasts to connect and form relationships, faced a significant setback just before its scheduled open beta launch on May 15. The app, which aimed to bring together like-minded players, announced on May 13 via a disheartening Yoshi meme that it had received a cease-and-desist letter. The post, shared on the official SmashTogether Twitter account, simply stated, "We got cease and desisted," signaling a halt to their plans.
Although the developers did not explicitly name the sender of the cease-and-desist, the logical assumption points to Nintendo, given the app's focus on the Super Smash Bros. franchise. The app was marketed as the "premium dating site for Super Smash Bros. enjoyers of all kinds," promising to help users find their "dream Doubles partner (in and out of Smash)" through a specialized matchmaking algorithm designed to pair users with their ideal "Smash Partner."
Screenshots shared by SmashTogether showcased unique features, including sections for users to list their preferred character, or "main," as well as their notable tournament achievements. The app also featured prompts tailored to the Smash Bros. community, such as "I'm looking for... Someone who can make it out of pools at a major."
The concept of a dating app centered around a game like Super Smash Bros. likely raised red flags for the sender of the cease-and-desist, in addition to potential concerns over intellectual property and copyright infringement. As of now, there has been no further communication from the SmashTogether team regarding alternative plans that might allow them to proceed without using the Super Smash Bros. branding.
In the meantime, the developers and their community await further developments, hoping for a resolution that might allow the project to move forward in some capacity. [ttpp]
