Melee’s exclusion from EVO 2019 has players disappointed and fans divided

Evo is the mecca of all things fighting games, but in 2019 one of the most popular titles will be missing—Super Smash Bros. Melee.

In an announcement on Twitter last night, Evo outlined the nine games headlining its biggest tournament in 2019, including Dragonball FighterZ, Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V.

The removal of Melee has disappointed players and fans of the game, many of whom voiced their frustrations on social media. The term “Melee” peaked at second on Twitter’s trending list in the United States and sixth world-wide.

Melee has appeared at every Evo since 2013 and has long been considered a cornerstone of major events. The game’s fan base has had a tumultuous relationship with the rest of the fighting game community, however, as evidenced by Smash 4 and Ultimate player Saleem “Salem” Akiel Young, who managed to enrage the Melee community overnight. He tweeted about the game’s omission from Evo 2019. Smash 4 was also omitted from EVO 2019 after the game’s swan song in 2018.

The finals for Melee were the third most watched games of Evo 2018 with over 193,000 peak viewers, only trailing to Street Fighter V (239,000) and Dragonball FighterZ (251,000).

Over 1300 people signed up for the tournament in August 2018, with the eventual winner William “Leffen” Hjelte taking home the $8124 prize. The reigning champion expressed his frustration on Twitter, but stayed hopeful for the future of Melee.

One of the successors of Melee, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, will make its debut Evo appearance after its release in December 2018. Leonardo “MKLeo” Lopez Perez took out Ultimate’s most recent major, Genesis 6, after coming from the losers bracket to defeat James “Void” Makekau-Tyson.

Evo 2019 will take place on August 2-4 in Las Vegas.