An unofficial Nintendo-themed dating app called Smash Together apparently got a cease-and-desist letter from Nintendo, only one day before officially entering open beta. Smash Together was supposed to be a dating app dedicated to fans of the Super Smash Bros. series – marketed as a means to not only find a romantic soulmate, but also someone who matches your gaming preferences. However, after an X post from the official Smash Together account referencing a cease-and-desist situation, it is very likely that Nintendo got involved, and that the app will never see the light of day.
Advertised as “the premium dating app for Smashers,” it was originally announced in June 2024, and after almost a year of development, it was set to finally enter open beta on May 15. Thanks to the developers’ original introduction post on X going viral, only 18 hours after the announcement of the open beta on May 12, the number of pre-registrations had already exceeded 400. We assume Nintendo was very quick to react, as only two days after the open beta announcement, the official Smash Together account on X posted a simple “We got cease & desisted” – implying that their project has ended. At the time of writing, there have been no further announcements regarding the project, nor details about the cease-and-desist letter from Nintendo. However, it seems very unlikely that development of the dating app will continue.
Aside from potential copyright infringement – which is probably the most logical explanation as to why Nintendo immediately demanded for the app to be taken down, the delicate nature of the project itself is probably another reason why Nintendo didn’t wait to react. The minimum age requirement for most dating apps is 18, and if we take into consideration the lowkey suggestive (but undeniably hilarious) nature of the app, it really comes to no surprise that its fate was sealed so quickly.
This isn’t the first time Nintendo delivered their cease-and-desist at lightning speed – earlier this year, they managed to shut down a fan made Legend of Zelda live action film only a week after its crowdfunding campaign started. Last year, they took down a video in which a YouTuber made sexually explicit commentary over Splatoon gameplay, only 20 hours after it being published.
