Hungrybox Announces $100,000 Smash Community Fund
At a time when competitive Super Smash Bros. is once again fighting for survival, Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma has stepped in with a clutch move. This time around, the Melee God has announced that he’s teamed up with FreshCut to create a $100,000 fund for the Smash community.
Hungrybox is now the Chief Smash Officer of FreshCut, a fairly new community-focused gaming platform focused on connecting content creators and gaming communities. The goal is to make FreshCut the new home for competitive Smash, an appealing statement after the fall of Smash World Tour, SHINE, and Beyond the Summit.
Many in the Smash community have feared that the competitive scene is nearing its end. But Hungrybox addressed these concerns in his initial announcement.
“Smash needs all the help it can get right now,” Hungrybox tweeted. “That’s why I’ve been working to ensure everyone can keep on playing the game they love. Smash is here to stay.”
The $100,000 Smash Community Fund Is Looking to Save Smash
FreshCut and Hungrybox teamed up to pool $100,000 towards the Smash community in the form of a Smash Community Fund. The huge chunk of change is available to players, creators, and tournament organizers.
It’s not fully clear how this will work, but it seems that Hungrybox will be leading the initiative and most likely choosing how to allocate the funds. The cash could possibly be used by top players to travel to international tournaments. It could also be used to help support locals or larger tournaments to set off the high cost of running their event.
According to FreshCut’s press release, local and regional organizers will have the opportunity to receive promotion, marketing, and funding support. There will also be campaigns including hero initiatives and clip contests.
“The fund aims to elevate players and organizers from underserved communities. We believe that together with Hungrybox we can help improve the scene and spotlight the best competition,” FreshCut explained.
More announcements will be coming out in the next few weeks. To find out what exactly FreshCut plans to do, sign up for their Discord. This is most likely where news will be shared first and where fans will be able to participate in promotions, contests, and events.
The Smash community has reacted with applause for the Smash Community Fund. This includes many of the biggest Smash players in the world tweeting in excitement about the news.
It’s unfortunately not the best time in the world to be a Smash player. The esports industry as a whole has been going through a rough patch and Smash has not been spared. Many top players were dropped from orgs, big events have been shut down, and the money just isn’t there.
But unlike other esports, Smash has always been a grassroots scene that has largely funded itself. No matter the pushback from Nintendo, the scene has continued to thrive and grow. Smash players have continued to grind the game they love and support the competitive side of the beloved platformer. The Smash Community Fund is just another way to help the esport not only survive, but continue to transform.
