Start.gg goes independent once again with Smash.gg veterans at the helm

A staple of Super Smash Bros. and other FGC communities, tournament organizing website Start.gg is going independent once again.

“We’re excited to announce that, starting today, Start.gg will be returning to its roots as an independent company supporting grassroots and professional esports communities,” site co-founder Chris Ogle said in a blog announcing the news. The community-driven website for players and tournament organizers alike has long been a vital component of several grassroots esports scenes, and Microsoft acquired the site, then known as Smash.gg, in 2020. Since then, the site has expanded the communities it’s reached and also rebranded to Start.gg in 2022.

While the original name gives away the site’s focus on Super Smash Bros., several other communities for games like Rocket League and Pokémon Unite have come to rely on the site for everything from keeping track of tournament standings and placements to merchandise shops and processing tournament registration fees.

And while the news that the site no longer has the backing of Microsoft behind it might seem like a negative, Ogle reiterated that this was a “new chapter” for the site, thanking Microsoft and Xbox for their support.

Part of that new chapter will be a new registration fee for registrations paid through the site that go towards the site’s upkeep. While Ogle noted the newly independent Start.gg will continue to work on improving their self-service site and updating it to help TOs and players alike, the site also needs to keep the lights on.

“Since our inception back in 2015, our goal has always been to foster esports communities around the games people love to play,” Ogle concluded in the announcement post. “This goal remains at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to continuing our journey with you.”