This time it’s following his win at Smash Summit 9 this past weekend
The “should Nintendo support a growing Super Smash Bros. pro scene” argument has been raging for some time now. Over a decade actually, if you bring it all the way back to the release and success of Melee.
In recent years though pros are starting to spread to it more and more, including one of the top contenders right now: Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma. Just last month he says sounding off on how he wishes Nintendo supported the pro scene directly, and he used a fresh Smash Summit 9 win this past weekend to give his plea another go.
In the following video shared from his personal YouTube channel, Hungrybox states, “if anyone from Nintendo corporate is watching right now, and sees the excitement these sets can get and everything that goes with it. Give Melee a chance. Even if it’s just Ultimate, support the Smash scene in general.”
Hungrybox continues, noting “we do it all grassroots,” and that “Nintendo, you are the only one who isn’t putting money in the scene.” He goes on to call it a “shot in the dark,” but cites Capcom and Epic Games (with Fortnite) as companies that support their own games with tournaments.
The thing is, Nintendo is in a position where the game is selling nearly 20 million copies without putting a cent into the grassroots pro scene. While support could elevate their sales and the legacy of the series itself, Nintendo is very much a “wait and see” type of company on nearly everything. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes they develop a late-in-the-game paid online component that’s nearly a decade behind the competition.
