Legal Legwork
Creating any work consisting of many intellectual properties you do not own is always a mess. For example, we’ve seen beloved work taken off store shelves due to licenses running out, such as the cases in old GTA games due to the songs they use. Now imagine a game like Smash Bros. where they have to work with countless other parties to create the game.
For the newest patch of the game, Nintendo needed to recontact each and every one of those game companies to receive permission again. This update simply lets you pick any music from the game to use on certain stages. It’s a very nice addition to the game and it sounds simple enough to change, except for the fact that they needed to ask everyone if it’s okay to use their music in a way that wasn’t originally intended.
Of course, we don’t think anyone would say no to this, but it is a fun reminder of how much legal work takes place behind games like these.