>>714243475
because it did survive a smash game, because it doesn't play like smash. Sure, there's overlap, but rivals 1 didn't play like smash bros to it's own benefit.
Again, if it has no newcomer reach, they wont stick to it when the next smash game comes out, there's no reason to. Mechanics won't matter lol. Smash always is huge despite sucking ass. Hell, it already is losing to Melee, which at least is understandable, but also ultimate which is fucking embarrassing.
Rivals 2 doesn't have anything mechanically that smash doesn't also do, and it'll have bigger tournaments with bigger payouts and sell bigger. Since, apparently, that's what matters not, being a better game that will last forever.
Fucking no one will be playing this shit outside of side tournaments at smash majors in 5 years. People will still being playing melee, smash 6, and rivals 1. Not as many as rivals 2 has now, but it will straight up degrade to nothing like how all the other smash clones end up.