Nintendo was accidentally racist recently when people discovered that a character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate depicted a Native American.
In a recent live stream, showing off gameplay of the upcoming Smash Bros game, viewers noticed that the “Side Smash” attack done by Mr Game and Watch was stylized like a Native American attacking with fire. While the intention was to reference an old game the character originated from, the gaming community found this far less savory than the company expected.
To be specific, the fighter was posing after Fire Attack, and LCD screen game from 1982 for the Game and Watch handheld. In the game, the player controls a cowboy that has to defend their wooden fort by Native Americans attacking with firey torches.
In the Smash Bros attack, the character bore a feather headdress, cementing the reference to the culture.
You can probably see why showcasing Native Americans as a violent tribal character could be seen as offensive. Once this was made aware via social media, Nintendo responded (via Eurogamer), apologizing and promising to remove the headdress.
“Nintendo has been planning to distribute an update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that removes the feather from the silhouette of Mr. Game & Watch. The original game on which this depiction of the character is based was released more than three decades ago and does not represent our company values today.
We sincerely apologise that this change was not noticed in our marketing material and are continuing our work to make Super Smash Bros. Ultimate an experience that is both welcoming and fun for everyone.”
The 80’s were a bit of a racist time. I can see how it’s hard to reference classic characters without occasionally embodying their unsavory views of the time. It’s cool that Nintendo was so polite and professional about the issue.
