Month: September 2015

During the period of larger schism between Smash and the rest of the fighting game community, Major League Gaming saw potential in Smashers’ overwhelming passion and brought them into the fold. Both Melee and Brawl would see inclusion through the 2000s, and the series most recently returned at MLG Anaheim last year. But despite a promising grassroots campaign, Smash was unceremoniously dropped from the tournament circuit.

With the community continuing to expand after their recent Melee revival and the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Major League Gaming is again returning to the scene they once supported by inviting them to participate at the MLG World Finals, an event that will feature competition in both of the aforementioned titles with separate $10,000 prize pools up for grabs.

While the money is certainly an exciting proposition, past dealings with the organization have left some Smash figures skeptical, most notably Jeremy “Fly Amanita” Westfahl and Hugo “HugS” Gonzalez. As prominent members of the Southern California community, both players attended MLG Anaheim, and again brought up their dissatisfaction with how the tournament was run after this announcement.

“It’d take some effort on their part to convince me they’re doing what’s necessary to prevent a repeat of MLG Anaheim,” Westfahl relayed on Twitter. “And knowing that it won’t go even half that badly would be a prerequisite for me to even consider attending.” Shortly afterwards, he shared with us an insightful piece he wrote on his experiences in Anaheim, describing a lack of organizer-competitor interaction that led to numerous issues.

Gonzalez, for his part, also cited his displeasure with Major League Gaming’s poor track record, as well as the way they handle community development. “I’ll pass,” he concluded succinctly.

As two of the best Melee players in the world, let’s hope their grievances doesn’t fall upon deaf ears.

MLG World Finals 2015 is scheduled for October 16-18 in New Orleans, Louisiana. More information, including details on competitor and spectator passes, can be found here.

Source: Major League Gaming