Juan Hungrybox Debiedma had just come off a long tournament run of beating some of the best in Super Smash Bros. Melee when he took to the stage for a winners interview. Debiedma used the opportunity to hold an impassioned rally for the grassroots that makes Smash happen, with choice words for a certain company.
Coming off a strenuous grand finals at Smash N Splash 3, his opponent from the losers bracket, William Leffen Hjelte, took him to the final set, where Debiedma secured a 3-1 win. It was a late night in the Wisconsin Dells, and when he took the stage, Debiedma had some things to say about the Smash community.
Riling up the crowd further, Debiedma calls out the lack of support the game has supposedly received from its publisher. Nintendo doesnt support the Smash scene like other publishers (Capcom, for instance) do, and even creator Masahiro Sakurai has been slow to accept his game has a competitive following.
A certain company that acknowledges us but refuses to push us, I hope youre listening right now, because I want you to hear this, said Debiedma. I want you to hear the amount of people who support this league, the amount of people who want this to be a lifestyle for people. This is not just a video game, this is a lifestyle.
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Watch the speech here:
https://clips.twitch.tv/EasyFaithfulKangarooWOOP
https://clips.twitch.tv/CourageousScrumptiousDoveDBstyle
Nintendo will never acknowledge the Melee community. I think it's time to move past that.