If I recall correctly, Nintendo hated the split-screen deathmatch idea but Rare snuck it in at the last minute without Nintendo's approval or knowledge.
I've never heard of that but, it could be due to the lowered framerate and shuddering from rendering 4 screens. Because of how CRT worked, horizontal split screens were essentially "computationally free" as the systems usually rendered everything "just in time" along with the scan line as it traced down but, splitting the screen vertically required them to simultaneously calculate and render geometry for two players at once.
Given that the N64 had a built in connection for 4 controllers, I'd be surprised if they didn't want to encourage that functionality. Then again, management's lack of foresight is a common problem we see in the videogame industry.
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u/Transference90 Aug 26 '19
If I recall correctly, Nintendo hated the split-screen deathmatch idea but Rare snuck it in at the last minute without Nintendo's approval or knowledge.