To all the doubters who said Smash is dead, Freshcut has something to say about that: The gaming platform is launching a $100,000 Smash Community Fund led by none other than legendary Smash Melee player Hungrybox
From this week, Hungrybox assumes the position of chief Smash officer on Freshcut with an objective to pave the way for the community fund. The fund aims to provide financial support to players, tournament organizers, and creators alike. The actual mechanics and qualifications to be able to join this program have not yet been revealed, but Freshcut and Hungrybox have asked people to stay tuned in the next few weeks.
Programs like this are a huge beacon of light for the Smash community, especially considering the long-standing fandom is currently going through a dark time. Recent issues like no funding from developers Nintendo and the closure of Beyond The Summit alike have ushered quite the drought for money entering the scene.
This “dark era” started with the BTS closure. Soon after, Smash Ultimate Summit 6 was announced as being the very last Smash Summit too. Add that to the character bans happening in online events—Steve and Kazuya are both on the block—and things look grim.
However, with this program just over the horizon, there is growing hope Smash esports isn’t going anywhere. The game itself certainly isn’t going anywhere and this might just attract more sponsors to enter the scene.
For now, interested Smash players, creators, and the wider community will have to wait for more details on Freshcut’s support program to see if they qualify.
