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Pre-release interest in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl managed to stretch out into the Japanese Super Smash Bros. fandom, despite Nickelodeon series not being particularly popular in Japan and the channel being taken off the air in 2009. The initial popularity of the game would lead to an official Japanese release (with only in-game text being translated to Japanese) after work on the DLC was finished in 2022, something that no other Nickelodeon game by GameMill Entertainment has had, including the game's sequel. While the game's popularity would die down like it did elsewhere, steep sales and cheap discount prices would result in a regional competitive scene for the game reappearing and frequent appearances on the Nintendo Switch's sales charts. This would lead to it peaking at number #6 on Japan's Switch download charts for the entire year of 2024, beating out all of Nintendo's first-party titles on the hardware, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Video on earlier NASB Japanese popularity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6GVNdbcb4
Video on later NASB Japanese popularity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X42U_-ww53c
Video of NASB Japanese version with translated text:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xu6r2sSDxw
2024 Nintendo of Japan download rankings:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250101080107/https://www.nintendo.com/jp/software/feature/ranking.html
NASB Japanese version listing:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250305152309/https://www.japanzon.com/en/game/37269-3goo-nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-ultimate-edition-for-nintendo-switch-4589857090892.html
Nickelodeon Japan article:
https://lostmediawiki.com/Nickelodeon_Japan_(partially_found_various_final_sign-off_footage_of_Japanese_TV_channel;_2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6GVNdbcb4
Video on later NASB Japanese popularity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X42U_-ww53c
Video of NASB Japanese version with translated text:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xu6r2sSDxw
2024 Nintendo of Japan download rankings:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250101080107/https://www.nintendo.com/jp/software/feature/ranking.html
NASB Japanese version listing:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250305152309/https://www.japanzon.com/en/game/37269-3goo-nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-ultimate-edition-for-nintendo-switch-4589857090892.html
Nickelodeon Japan article:
https://lostmediawiki.com/Nickelodeon_Japan_(partially_found_various_final_sign-off_footage_of_Japanese_TV_channel;_2009)
subdirectory_arrow_right Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Game)
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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 has been noted as having almost zero similarities to the game it is a sequel to from a gameplay perspective. Gameplay and moveset designer and community manager Thaddeus Crews would address this disparity in a short Twitter thread shortly after the sequel's launch by reassuring fans who prefer the first NASB that the sequel was not intended as a replacement for the first game:
"You know the best part about NASB1 being/feeling so different from NASB2? They're not mutually exclusive!
The first game isn't suddenly rendered irrelevant by the sequel coming out; it's entirely possible to run/enter events for the core gameplay that remains entirely its own
I've seen plenty of people that prefer the first game's gameplay, and more power to them! I'm happy that they've found something they can latch onto and enjoy; surrounding circumstances be damned"
The first game isn't suddenly rendered irrelevant by the sequel coming out; it's entirely possible to run/enter events for the core gameplay that remains entirely its own
I've seen plenty of people that prefer the first game's gameplay, and more power to them! I'm happy that they've found something they can latch onto and enjoy; surrounding circumstances be damned"
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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has an unconventional design mentality that contributed to the game's divisive reception. This was the result of the development team having very little time and resources to brainstorm due to tight deadlines, and the core gameplay implementer on the team early in development not wanting to retread their prior work on Slap City (a more conventional platform fighting game closer to the design mentality of Super Smash Bros. Melee). Community manager and game designer Thaddeus Crews noted that the absence of moves such as forward tilts, side specials, and back airs restricted what could be done with designing movesets. While he was initially upset by this, he came to accept the game's nature as it developed a small loyal fanbase, some of whom continued making unofficial patches for the game that Crews endorsed as the team was no longer allowed to continue updating the game in early 2023.
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• April O'Neil, Ren & Stimpy, CatDog, Aang, Korra were revealed on a silhouetted box art provided to retailers and revealed on announcement day. April's silhouette was vague enough that some people mistook her other characters, such as Carly from iCarly and the live action version of Dora the Explorer from the film Dora & the Lost City of Gold, but most fans deduced that is was April ahead of the reveal.
• Ren & Stimpy's inclusion was further proven by the discovery of an ESRB rating for the game, mentioning moves known as "Log Toss" (referencing a fictional toy from their show) and "First Fart" (referencing an episode of their show).
• A model lineup featuring Garfield was discovered from an unknown source before launch, it was confirmed to be real following the official reveal of Ren & Stimpy, whose models lined up with those featured in the leak.
• Toph was leaked by a rogue developer along with the stage line-up and scribbled out images of Garfield and Shredder. Garfield was not identified, but some players did manage to identify Shredder.
• Garfield and Shredder, who were intended for base game but had to be delayed as free DLC, were found inside the game's code through datamining immediately after launch.
Silhouettes:
https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/korra-catdog-and-more-potentially-revealed-on-early-nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-box-art
Toph:
https://gamerant.com/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-leak-toph-avatar/
Ren & Stimpy ESRB:
https://www.esrb.org/ratings/37984/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl/
Shredder and Garfield:
https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/15285/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-datamine-garfield-shredder-dlc
Garfield model:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AllStarBrawl/comments/pdhssk/why_the_garfield_leak_might_actually_be_real/
https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/korra-catdog-and-more-potentially-revealed-on-early-nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-box-art
Toph:
https://gamerant.com/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-leak-toph-avatar/
Ren & Stimpy ESRB:
https://www.esrb.org/ratings/37984/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl/
Shredder and Garfield:
https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/15285/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-datamine-garfield-shredder-dlc
Garfield model:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AllStarBrawl/comments/pdhssk/why_the_garfield_leak_might_actually_be_real/
subdirectory_arrow_right Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Game)
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NASB1 Rocko victory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXwkQbPolAE#t=910s
Rocko's NASB2 showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLDf19qmJcc#t=3s
Rocko's Modern Life Production Style Guide, where Rocko can be seen without underwear on slides 14 (Rocko_Bible34) and 17 (Rocko_Bible37):
https://www.reddit.com/r/modelsheetarchive/comments/1dmmnco/rockos_modern_life_199396_style_guide_part2_model/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXwkQbPolAE#t=910s
Rocko's NASB2 showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLDf19qmJcc#t=3s
Rocko's Modern Life Production Style Guide, where Rocko can be seen without underwear on slides 14 (Rocko_Bible34) and 17 (Rocko_Bible37):
https://www.reddit.com/r/modelsheetarchive/comments/1dmmnco/rockos_modern_life_199396_style_guide_part2_model/
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When the email from Nickelodeon proposing a Nicktoons platform fighter was first sent to Ludosity, the company's CEO Joel Nyström initially dismissed it as spam mail.
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Originally, Reptar was going to spit cereal from his mouth, but Nickelodeon insisted that he shoot fire instead.
Time stamp: 00:33:49
https://www.twitch.tv/xbox/video/1169182887
https://www.twitch.tv/xbox/video/1169182887
subdirectory_arrow_right Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Game)
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In the final update of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, Patrick's command grabs gained a glitch that made them unable to penetrate through shields, negating their primary purpose. When asked about fixing Patrick's grabs after the launch of the game's sequel, gameplay and character designer Thaddeus Crews responded "I would if I could".
Thaddeus Crews tweet:
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1723141185353425158
Video about Patrick and his glitch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RzfAmXgqzM
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1723141185353425158
Video about Patrick and his glitch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RzfAmXgqzM
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Models:
https://tcrf.net/Nickelodeon_All-Star_Brawl#Unused_Models
More info on Dangerous Pumpkin
https://tcrf.net/Nickelodeon_All-Star_Brawl/Unused_Graphics
https://tcrf.net/Nickelodeon_All-Star_Brawl#Unused_Models
More info on Dangerous Pumpkin
https://tcrf.net/Nickelodeon_All-Star_Brawl/Unused_Graphics
subdirectory_arrow_right Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Game), Nickelodeon (Collection), Cartoon Network (Collection)
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Crews being open to a Nick/CN crossover game:
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1737639817662681161
Confirmation that the merger will not happen:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/warner-bros-discovery-ceo-zaslav-not-ready-to-make-deal-for-paramount
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1737639817662681161
Confirmation that the merger will not happen:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/warner-bros-discovery-ceo-zaslav-not-ready-to-make-deal-for-paramount
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Ren & Stimpy were made a duo fighter in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl to allow them to interact with one another, something that wouldn't be possible if they were two separate characters. Ludosity CEO Joel Nyström noted that it also allowed development time to be assigned to one extra fighter.
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One divisive element of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is how hard it leans into competitive play, which has been perceived as coming at the detriment of content aimed at casual players such as items and a story mode. According to Ludosity CEO Joel Nyström, Nickelodeon specifically wanted the game to be able to attract a competitive audience, and chose Ludosity as a lead development team due to the positive reception of their first platform fighter, Slap City, from competitive Super Smash Bros. players. 2 years later in 2023, the game's gameplay designer and community manager Thaddeus Crews would respond to a tweet from YouTuber TierZoo complaining about a focus on complicated competitive techniques in non-Smash platform fighters, as well as some replies to the tweet complaining about 1v1-based platform fighter design as a whole, with a clarification on why Ludosity's platform fighters have been marketed so directly at competitive players, as well as why he feels other games in the subgenre are marketed as such:
"Seeing a common misconception in the replies, so let's clarify that:
When an indie platform fighter has a priority on strictly versus gameplay, that is not, and has never been, "pandering to competitive". It's often all that team can afford to do alongside an "acceptable" roster
So when you have the budget for a single, core system, and all your time/resources will necessarily be put into said system, the logical consequence is that will be developed to make utilizing it as rewarding as possible
However, this puts marketing in a catch 22. You can't realistically showcase your singular system without appearing competitively focused, and you can't divert from that impression without straying from the "game" part of the game
Like it or not, they gotta reap what's been sown."
When an indie platform fighter has a priority on strictly versus gameplay, that is not, and has never been, "pandering to competitive". It's often all that team can afford to do alongside an "acceptable" roster
So when you have the budget for a single, core system, and all your time/resources will necessarily be put into said system, the logical consequence is that will be developed to make utilizing it as rewarding as possible
However, this puts marketing in a catch 22. You can't realistically showcase your singular system without appearing competitively focused, and you can't divert from that impression without straying from the "game" part of the game
Like it or not, they gotta reap what's been sown."
Kotaku article with a mention how Nick wanted competitive appeal:
https://kotaku.com/nickelodeon-fighting-game-devs-have-high-hopes-competi-1847310415
Thaddeus Crews on the "choice" to prioritise competitive appeal:
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1714706504140370251
https://kotaku.com/nickelodeon-fighting-game-devs-have-high-hopes-competi-1847310415
Thaddeus Crews on the "choice" to prioritise competitive appeal:
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1714706504140370251
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Two of the first direct-feed pieces of gameplay released for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl were a 1v1 between Nigel Thornberry and April O'Niel, and a 1v1 between CatDog and Lucy Loud. Both of these battles were wildly one-sided in favor of April and CatDog respectively. In the battle against April, Nigel was controlled by a playtester who had never actually used Nigel before; while in the battle against Lucy, CatDog was controlled by Mattias Hakulinen, who - while not a competitive player - was the best NASB player on its development team at the time. It is not known who was playing as April and Lucy.
Explanation of the skill gaps:
https://youtu.be/aoKEq6Rgyz0?t=1508
CatDog vs. Lucy:
https://youtu.be/wT2q-Pz85F4
April vs. Nigel:
https://youtu.be/mpXlXY-U24s
https://youtu.be/aoKEq6Rgyz0?t=1508
CatDog vs. Lucy:
https://youtu.be/wT2q-Pz85F4
April vs. Nigel:
https://youtu.be/mpXlXY-U24s
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