To all of my fellow competitiveÂSmashÂfans, today’s news comes with a heavy heart. The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has already put a stop to many live, in-person tournaments this year, and even though the Rona Rumble series andSlippihave changed the wayÂMeleeÂcan be watched and played, there’s nothing like sitting in the crowd during top 8. Especially if you’re attending The Big House, an enormous tournament open to not onlyÂMelee, butÂSmash 64ÂandÂUltimateÂas well. The tournament has been a yearly occurrence since 2011, bringing players from across the world to Michigan to duke it out. Sadly, this year will be the first without The Big House, as the tournament has been canceled.The cancellation of the latest Big House tournament, which would have been the tenth time it’s been held overall, was announced earlier today via a Tweet from the official Big House account. Specifically, the message shared by the tournament’s organizers cites the “ongoing Covid-19 pandemic” and “concerns for the health and well-being of our community” as the main reasons for canceling. The Big House 10 had previously been scheduled for this upcoming October.
Losing The Big House this year is immense for the competitiveÂSmashÂcommunity. The tournament has been the site of multiple historic events in the game’s history - upsets, massive wins and disappointing losses - and naturally,some memes. Last year’s Big House saw C9 Mang0 defeat Zain for first place inÂMeleeÂand the rise of one ofÂSmash Ultimate’s youngest stars, Zackray, who defeated veteran player, Dabuz.
However, not all hope is lost for The Big House this year. The message shared on Twitter also hints at some possible upcoming news for the tournament that would work around in-person gathering just to “keep the Big House spirit strong through 2020.” What’s being planned isn’t clear yet but the foundation for large online tournaments, at least forMelee, has been set.
