Big things are happening for Smash. Team Solo Mid, a prominent organization and eSports team picked up Swedish player Leffen, Super Smash Con, a convention and tournament with a $30,000 bonus prize pool will take place August 6-9th in Dulles, Virginia, and records are shattered again as Evo 2015 will be the largest Smash Bros. tournament to date!
First, let me explain a bit about Team Solo Mid (TSM). TSM is an organization that started with the game League of Legends and dominated the North American (NA) region time and time again. They hold the largest fan base in NA and their team chants “TSM TSM TSM!” have become a signature throughout the years to the point that it has been chanted in matches they’re not present in. As well, they have an arsenal of sponsorships from companies such as Logitech, Twitch, HTC, iBuyPower, and HyperX.
On March 9th, Leffen, the #6 ranked player in the world, was signed to TSM. Leffen was previously unsponsored and with a team like TSM will find a boost in skill level. TSM, in general, is known to acquire the top players of their respective games. TSM’s involvement is an indication that more and more organizations are turning their heads towards the Smash to sponsor players. Previously, Smash had always had sponsorships, but never of the likes of the big names like Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, or Team Solo Mid.
Now Super Smash Con will be a precedent setter. The announcement video stated that it is going to be a convention, not just a tournament. For one, it has a prize pool bonus of $30,000 dollars stretched across four events for Smash 64, Melee, Brawl, and Wii U.
But the bigger picture is the fact that it’s a convention that will open itself up to vendors, exclusive panels, and live music. Almost anything related to gaming like clothing brands, game developers, gaming celebrities, content producers, and technology companies will look to show their presence here or be contacted to.
A convention center is a floor that enables the Smash community to expand their reach beyond players and spectators of Smash towards other branches of gaming.
And speaking of expansion, Evo 2015 will become the largest Smash tournament ever. According to an article from Shoryuken, Smash Bros. Melee has surpassed 1,000 registered competitors in just 24 days. Smash Bros. Wii U has also passed the 1,000 mark amid skepticism over the competitive value of the game.
Apex 2015, which took place at the end of January, took much longer to even hit 1,00 entrants. Part of this could be the that the Apex tournament series has always run into trouble throughout its annual tournaments.
This past Apex was close to ending before it even started. A RedBull article by Barret Womack briefly goes through the problems that happened; the venue was deemed unusable.
The high interest from both spectators and competitors can be linked to the production quality that Evo provides. But so far, the event is looking to be one of the most hype to date.
jvsmash 
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