Why The New Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Update Has Mii So Worried

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Since the debut of Miis on the Wii, they have become a common feature in numerous Nintendo games. However, a recent update to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has raised concerns about their future. These once charming player characters, who accompanied players across various gaming experiences, now seem to be losing prominence with each new release. The latest patch for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate seems to further indicate that they are being neglected.

The Mii Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate significantly contribute to the game’s unique character. Reflecting on the slogan “Everyone is Here!”, Miis offer players a way to insert characters not included in the main roster, with downloadable costumes extending this by incorporating characters from newly introduced series within Super Smash Bros. However, issues have arisen concerning cross-platform online play with the release of the Switch 2, prompting Nintendo to discourage using Mii Fighters online previously. It seems that these once prominent avatars have been overshadowed in recent updates.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Mii Problem Is the Latest in a Long Line

Important to Mii

There’s always been a unique charm about Miis. The straightforward character creation process allows anyone to depict themselves or their beloved fictional characters with ease. Although there are certain boundaries to customization, they often spark creativity among players. Unlike many other games offering character customization, the same Mii can be utilized across various games, enhancing the player’s bond with their virtual self and adding a personal touch.

In addition to being able to employ Miis across various games, they can also transcend multiple generations of Nintendo consoles. Since the debut of the Wii nearly 20 years ago, players have been able to transfer their original Mii characters onto each subsequent console, allowing them to update their Mii to represent themselves more accurately over time. The Mii creation tool has evolved as well, offering a wider array of facial characteristics and hair colors, culminating in virtually endless customization options with the makeup tool found in Miitopia.

In my opinion, the unique niche for Miis was primarily seen during the Wii U era and on the discontinued Miiverse platform. While Miis had always served as player avatars in games, they truly shone on Miiverse by allowing players to express themselves globally. This feature fostered a sense of community among users, as it enabled Mii characters to emote in response to posts, serving as an emotional indicator that I believe is still absent from most social media platforms today. The lost charm of the Wii U’s Miiverse is something many players still yearn for, and its existence was undeniably reliant on the presence of Miis.

Switch 2 Is Missing Mii

As a dedicated gamer, the unease kicked in with the arrival of the Switch 2. Though it offered a few more poses for User Profiles, Miis seemed to be receiving less focus on this console. I tried to brush off the identical Mii Maker customization options compared to the original Switch, thinking Nintendo might not have wanted any disparity between their closely-related consoles.

I managed to find comfort in how players could use their Mii character across various Mario Kart games, from Mario Kart Wii to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Tour, even Mario Kart World. The game’s emphasis on Mario series characters did give me a glimmer of hope that the omission of Miis from the roster wasn’t due to neglect.

However, the necessity for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate patch to rectify Mii support was when I began to feel like my suspicions were being validated.

With each fresh unveiling of the Switch 2, it seems as though Nintendo is increasingly attempting to supplant Miis with our own likenesses. In the early Nintendo Directs for the console, Nintendo focused significantly on the GameChat feature, allowing players to share their gameplay and real-time statistics utilizing the new Switch 2 Camera. In the game Mario Kart World, players can now observe other players in-game rather than just their User Profile icon. For numerous gamers, this icon is typically their Mii, which is replaced with videos of themselves instead. The metaphor isn’t lost on me. I strongly object to the gradual phasing out of Miis.

The unique feature becomes particularly evident in the Nintendo Switch 2 version of “Super Mario Party Jamboree”. The recently added “Jamboree TV” extension introduces CameraPlay, allowing Switch 2 users with cameras to join the game by integrating their real-life images using controls similar to Microsoft’s Kinect. This is somewhat unusual because, at first, Miis were designed as virtual player stand-ins, but now they are gradually being replaced by actual players.

There Is Still a Glimmer of Hope for Mii

The outlook for Mii characters appears dim, yet there remains a glimmer of optimism. Before the launch of Switch 2, Nintendo unveiled what appears to be the final first-party games for the original Switch. One of these is Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, scheduled for release in 2026 and centered around Mii characters. Whether this game represents an effort by Nintendo to rejuvenate the Mii characters or a farewell tribute before their retirement is uncertain, but it’s wonderful to see more emphasis on them either way.

In Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, there’s a notable detail that I think is significant and deserves attention: Miis now have ears. This marks a significant shift in Mii design since the Switch was released. While it might only seem like a minor alteration, the fact that Nintendo decided to make this change at all gives me optimism about the future of these characters. It implies that Nintendo could be brainstorming fresh ideas for how to develop Miis further.

I’ve had worries about the absence of Mii characters in the pre-release of Switch 2, and now that a game-breaking bug involving them has been uncovered in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update, I can’t help but think Nintendo might be phasing them out. Given that the representation of Miis on the original Switch was less than ideal compared to previous Nintendo consoles, it seems plausible they could be replaced soon. For now, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is our only bright spot, but without its release, it’s hard not to notice the scarcity of Mii characters.

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2025-06-26 00:44