Before every game was connected to the internet and touting multiplayer, there were no game updates. Games were bought as packaged, and any flaws of the game were simply parts of the experience. Now, every major game goes through numerous updates and patches, some even on the day of launch. So when it is announced that a competitive online game like ARMS is no longer getting updates, it sounds a lot like that game is being put to rest.

While upsetting for many fans, it isn’t exactly a surprise that Nintendo no longer wants to put much effort into their mostly failed fighter. Mario and Zelda continue to be huge revenue streams to pour time and effort into, and other original titles like Splatoon were much larger hits among fans. Splatoon 2 followed rather quickly in the wake of the first one, and though not a massive success, it is a unique game that gamers agree fits the Nintendo mold – it’s different, it’s unique, and it’s fun. In the few months since release, ARMS hasn’t made a home for itself, and it’s mechanics and visuals haven’t endeared fans the same way as other Nintendo properties.

ARMS was a bold move for Nintendo. Fighting games have been declining for years with complaints about endless combos and juggling opponents at the top of the gripes. ARMS tried to do something new by forcing fighters to duke it out at a distance. Players launch slow moving, spring-loaded punches at one another from far away and block or launch their own attacks. But the uniqueness of the design gave the game few options. Players could change their type of ARM from light and quick to big and heavy, but the game was still an incredibly slow-paced fighting game, one that was hard to get your adrenaline up while playing.

Though ARMS boasted a decent roster as of its last update with 15 playable characters, many of them feel uninspired or useless. There simply isn’t enough variety in the fighting or the characters for most gamers.

For fighting game fans, it’s little surprise ARMS didn’t do so well. It was a game that didn’t exactly have a target audience and so didn’t really draw either crowd. Still, for fans, the lack of updates doesn’t mean they have to put up their controllers. They can still continue to compete until the community has all but evaporated, but that might be sooner than expected. Mario Kart 8, by comparison, came out a month before ARMS and shows no signs of losing steam in updates. For once, it seems like unique isn’t always better for Nintendo.