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

Ever since their introduction on the Wii, Miis have been a staple of many of Nintendo’s vast library of games, but a recent update to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has left me worried about their fate. What were once endearing player avatars that would follow them through different play experiences seem to be getting swept to the side with each new release, and the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate patch only proves that they are being overlooked.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Mii Fighters are important to the game’s identity. Building upon the “Everyone is Here!” tagline, Miis gave players the chance to add characters that are missing from the game’s roster, taken even further by the DLC costumes introducing crossovers from series new to Super Smash Bros. However, with the release of the Switch 2, using Mii Fighters has been causing problems with cross-platform online play. Before this was fixed, Nintendo advised players not to use Mii Fighters online, but it feels like the once-iconic avatars have become an afterthought.

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

Important to Mii

I think there’s always been something special about Miis. Their simple approach to character creation makes it accessible to everyone wanting to represent themselves or their favorite fictional characters. The customization feature does have its limits, but these can inspire players to get creative. Unlike other games with character customization, though, the same Mii can be used across multiple games, making the player’s connection to their avatar that much stronger and more personal.

As well as the possibility to use Miis across multiple games, they can also span multiple generations of consoles. It’s been almost 20 years since the launch of the Wii, and it’s possible for players to put the Mii they made all those years ago onto each of Nintendo’s subsequent consoles, making changes to their Mii to better reflect their current selves. The Mii Maker has changed too, adding more facial features and hair colors for players to choose from, eventually giving players near limitless control with Miitopia’s makeup tool.

For me, where Miis really found their place was with the ill-fated Wii U and the now-defunct Miiverse app. Miis were always able to represent players in games, but on Miiverse, this was how players represented themselves to the world. It helped to make players feel connected with each other, elevated by the ability to make the user’s Mii emote on posts as a tone indicator, something I still believe other social media platforms are missing. The Wii U’s Miiverse is a feature many players miss, and it would not have been possible without Miis.

Switch 2 Is Missing Mii

Where the concern started to set in was with the launch of the Switch 2. Other than a few extra poses for User Profiles, Miis seem to be getting less attention on the console. I was able to overlook the console’s identical Mii Maker customization options from the original Switch, since Nintendo might not have wanted disparity between two closely-related consoles. Even though players could use their Mii in every Mario Kart game from Mario Kart Wii to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Tour, Mario Kart World’s focus on Mario series characters did give me some reassurance that the Miis’ removal from the roster wasn’t because they were overlooked without a reason. However, the need for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate patch to fix Mii support is when I started to feel as though my fears were being confirmed.

With each new Switch 2 reveal, it feels more and more like Nintendo is trying to replace Mii with… me. During the first Nintendo Directs for the console, Nintendo gave a lot of attention to the system’s GameChat functionality, which lets players share their gameplay and their live fractions with use of the new Switch 2 Camera. In Mario Kart World, players can see other players in-game in place of their User Profile icon. For many players, this icon is of their Mii, which is switched out with video of themselves instead. The symbolism is not lost on me. I can’t stand for this Mii erasure.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Party Jamboree. The new Jamboree TV expansion adds CameraPlay, giving players with the Switch 2 Camera to insert themselves into the game via the camera, with controls reminiscent of Xbox’s Kinect. This feels strange, as Miis were initially intended to be virtual representations of players, but now, they are being phased out, replaced by the player themselves.

There Is Still a Glimmer of Hope for Mii

The future of Miis seems bleak, but hope is not lost. Prior to the Switch 2’s launch, Nintendo revealed what can be assumed to be the last first-party titles for the original Switch. Among these is the Mii-centric Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, set to release in 2026. Whether this game is Nintendo’s attempt to breathe new life into the Miis or celebrate the avatars before they are retired is unknown, but it’s great to see more representation of them regardless.

There is one seemingly small piece of evidence that I don’t think can be overlooked, though: Miis have ears in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. This is the first major change to Miis since the Switch. It’s possible that this change will be exclusive to the game, but to make this change at all makes me hopeful about the future of these avatars, since it suggests Nintendo may be thinking about what new things it can do with Miis.

I had my concerns about the lack of Mii presence from the Switch 2’s pre-launch, and now that the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update revealed them to be at the center of a game-breaking bug, I can’t help but feel Nintendo is preparing to abandon them. Considering that the original Switch’s Mii representation was already lacking when compared to prior Nintendo consoles, it’s very possible that Miis will be replaced in the near future. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream remains a beacon of hope, but until this releases, it’s hard to ignore the lack of Mii representation.