thank you for your topic because i think this is a bigger problem!
because even if we have an actual lack of popularity of PM in the long run this will be the same case for melee. ANd this is because they have one thing in common: Nintendo doesn't care at all.
So, i think that a concrete project to change things will be to make Nintendo cares about melee/PM's gameplay that we love.
I have to explain in details why i stress on melee even if it's very vey popular now.
The melee scene is getting old. i don't know if people understand that in general, new smash player can not stand the dated graphics of melee and whatever masterpiece of gameplay it is, graphics is the entrance, the first contact with a game.
Melee survives for decades but they were not a Smash game enough competitivly attractive (graphics and gameplay) and supported by Nintendo in tournaments to stand the comparison IN THE EYES OF A NEW SMASH PLAYER THAT IS ABOUT TO CHOOSE THE SMASHGAME HE WILL INVEST HIS TIME IN. But today there is.
People should never forget that Nintendo had to deal with melée but he have never ever supported melee. Nintendo stopped its aggressive policy against smash game in tournament and even started sponsorship because of Smash4. Nowdays, Smash4 and Melée number of entrances at tournaments are about the same. In 4/5 years Smash4 will probably dig a deeper gap.
Both Smash games are struggling to reach 5000 entrances. And the melee by its only existence in competition helped SMash4 visibility in the begining, now they are helping for eachother visibilty since they are people discovering melee through smash4 (and only a very very very few of them let smash4 to play melee) and that is useful for Nintendo.
But it is possible that in 2020 (maybe before), when Smash6 will reach 10 000 entrance at EVO after dragging the Smash5 scene (which dragged the Smash4 scene that dragged the Brawl scene), looking at melee still struggling around 5000 entrances, Nintendo will feel enough comfortable to ask tournament organisator to get completly rid of melee (perhaps for some other new nintendo's fighting IP -Hello Pokken 3- ).
The fact is Melee is not much supported as PM, it is just very popular, and popularity it is something that can decrease with time especially whith an official subtitute - ask the StreetFighter 3rd Strike community - Even the melee scene knows deep in their heart that they are still surviving especially since its parent has another child and that is the only one he care about, no wonder how sensitive they could be and react in situations like the one with ESAM (that beloved child that want to play with the denied child's toy) that negativity is Bad, but it is what it is.
I have recently watch a PM great final between Mr LZ and Lunchables (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Zets1rca8 ) two very very young player with top pros skills that mostly play PM and generate noticeable hype in 2015.
That makes me ask myself, where are melée's new talent?!
The point is what lessons PM community could learn from this situation?
We need a nintendo supported update Smashgame with a melee-like gameplay; Or the mode in a nintendo supported update SmashGame with a melee-like gameplay; or a HD-melee; Or a HD PM on a Nintendo console.
Sothis is nearly impossible, will hardly happen. We all ready know how Nintendo works, so there is maybe one way: pressure.
he need a way of pressure and unity. The Smash4 has Nintendo attention, PM and Melee's community will need them. Then we should all think of something like a petition or asking for a meeting.
It is very important to understand that, no matter how much you love wavedash, fastfall, edgehog play, guard stun or anything else that doesn't exist this other great game that Smash4 is, if the the game you play doesn't have a modern and reachable way to propose it , it will just fade over time.
Young players that want melee-like gameplay are all ready letting melee down for PM which is a more good-looking game aside of its other advantages.
No matter how much the StreetFighter 3rd Strike community felt about the parry and all the deepnest it brings to the gameplay, the street fighter history and its legacy in the entire competitive fighting game scene beyonds StreetFighter (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq1ey4-ewyQ ) .
Capcom just let them down for StreetFighter4, they only had they eyes for cry and today is a forgotten story. Everybody is all ready looking at StreeFighter5.
So don't hope for miracles, be ready with a way of pressure to have Nintendo's blessing if we want a melee-like gameplay to last and spread. just making PM more popular underground is not enough, any new smash game will a drain a part of any other smash game and catch any new player. We need Nintendo support.
I think that on the long run nintendo will totally get rid of melee and PM will survive underground over melee since it will be the only smash with melee like gameplay that new generation player that looking for it will stick on.
