Super Smash Bros. Melee in competitive play: Difference between revisions
Super Smash Bros. Melee in competitive play (edit)
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In February 2019, it was revealed that {{Trn|EVO}}, the tournament series responsible for ''Melee''{{'}}s rise in popularity in 2013, would not feature the game in its [[Tournament:EVO 2019|next incarnation]], instead relegating it to a side event. While arguably inevitable, this announcement drew some concern from the ''Melee'' fanbase, for it could possibly compel other fighting game tournaments to drop the game as well and thus lead to its eventual demise. Observers remarked, however, that worry over the exclusion of ''Melee'' from larger tournaments would do more damage to its popularity than the exclusion itself. ''Melee'' remained strong throughout the year even with the noticeable decline in interest thanks to the release of ''Ultimate'' and the reduced prominence of the Five Gods. | In February 2019, it was revealed that {{Trn|EVO}}, the tournament series responsible for ''Melee''{{'}}s rise in popularity in 2013, would not feature the game in its [[Tournament:EVO 2019|next incarnation]], instead relegating it to a side event. While arguably inevitable, this announcement drew some concern from the ''Melee'' fanbase, for it could possibly compel other fighting game tournaments to drop the game as well and thus lead to its eventual demise. Observers remarked, however, that worry over the exclusion of ''Melee'' from larger tournaments would do more damage to its popularity than the exclusion itself. ''Melee'' remained strong throughout the year even with the noticeable decline in interest thanks to the release of ''Ultimate'' and the reduced prominence of the Five Gods. | ||
==The "Diamond Age" and The Rise of Netplay (2020- | ==The "Diamond Age" and The Rise of Netplay (2020-2022)== | ||
{{main|COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash}} | {{main|COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash}} | ||
{{main|2020 Super Smash Bros. sexual misconduct allegations}} | {{main|2020 Super Smash Bros. sexual misconduct allegations}} | ||
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{{Trn|The Big House 10}}, held on October 7th, 2022, saw Japanese player {{Sm|Amsa}} finally win a ''Melee'' "supermajor". This win was noteworthy not only because The Big House 10 was considered to be the most stacked tournament of all time, with 23 of the top 25-ranked players at the time having attended, but because it was achieved solely with {{SSBM|Yoshi}}, a character long-considered to be mid-tier at best. As with Axe's Summit win in 2019, Amsa's 1st place finish at The Big House 10 with Yoshi would defend "Melee" against arguments of the game's limited number of tournament-viable characters. | {{Trn|The Big House 10}}, held on October 7th, 2022, saw Japanese player {{Sm|Amsa}} finally win a ''Melee'' "supermajor". This win was noteworthy not only because The Big House 10 was considered to be the most stacked tournament of all time, with 23 of the top 25-ranked players at the time having attended, but because it was achieved solely with {{SSBM|Yoshi}}, a character long-considered to be mid-tier at best. As with Axe's Summit win in 2019, Amsa's 1st place finish at The Big House 10 with Yoshi would defend "Melee" against arguments of the game's limited number of tournament-viable characters. | ||
==The "Era of Uncertainty" (Late 2022-present)== | |||
The closing months of 2022 saw some of the hardest setbacks the smash community as a whole has ever seen. November saw the loss of the two largest circuits planned in smash history, Smash World Tour, and The Panda Cup. Due to the drama that came with the cancellation of these, Team Panda as an entity has almost completely dissolved and many smashers in both Melee and Ultimate were left without a sponsor. The opening months of 2023 also did not bear good news. One of the most beloved tournament series, Smash Summit, announced it would not longer run the tournaments after the company that hosted these tournaments, BTS, ceased operations. On top of this, Esports as a whole took many losses during this time. Teams that were invested in the Melee community, such as Counter Logic Gaming, dropped their entire rosters. | |||
Despite the hardship, Melee as an esport is still in a healthy position. Much of the groundwork of the community is grassroots, with tournaments Like {{Trn|GENESIS 9}} and {{Trn|Collision 2023}} being unaffected by the current state of esports. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||