Alliance signs Smash powerhouse Armada

Alliance has just officially become the home of Super Smash Bros. royalty.

The European esports juggernauts announced this afternoon that Adam “Armada” Lindgren is now the first Smasher under the team’s banner. Lindgren was one of the last remaining members of Smash’s legendary “Big Five” competitors still unsigned by a major esports organization until news broke late today.

For Lindgren, the partnership is a welcome financial boost. The young player is a native of Sweden but spends much of his time traveling to the United States for various international competitions, largely due to the lack of meaningful competition in Europe. With talented foes making what little prize money exists hard to come by, the sponsorship should provide some stability for Lindgren and, in turn, further improve his standing in the competitive scene.

The signing also marks yet another win in the so-called “Year of Smash,” a period that has seen top players picked up by major organizations and once-absent support from developer Nintendo become a reality. Combined with news that Twitch will bolster the prize pool for this year’s Apex Smash circuit and a community buzzing about the newest Smash title, growth for the decade-old esport is as healthy as ever.

Now with all members of the Big Five except Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman wearing the jerseys of esports organizations, and the newest Smash launching for the Wii U on Nov. 21, few corners of the gaming world aren’t talking about Nintendo’s family-friendly fighting game.

The only question that remains for die-hard fans is this: What could possibly come next?

Photo by TIm Sackton/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)