As pros continue leaving, the FGC wonders: Is Super Smash Bros. Melee dying right before our eyes?

Super Smash Bros. Melee has been around for decades, and the esports scene just as long. It’s become one of the most passionate and determined grassroots scenes in history, but have some of the most dedicated pros finally given up on the hope of keeping Melee alive?

It’s no secret that Nintendo hates competitive Smash. It’s removed Melee and Ultimate from Evo and attempted to take it off the schedule of others by being slow AF to give tournament organizers licenses to run the games. Don’t even get me started on things like Project M, which have to have hidden tournaments in stuffy basements and backrooms.

While Nintendo has continuously attempted to kill Smash esports, the communities have fought back. Especially Melee.

However, many Melee pros seem to have grown tired. Is the fight over?

It’s not looking good for Melee

I previously saw Melee as Smash’s one true chance at longevity. It had an unchanged roster and a stadium selection that had been around forever, players who had competed for decades, long-formed rivalries, and a community behind them. And the community itself has lore, hardships, drama, and controversies that have defined esports culture and kept everyone pushing forward, determined to live on.

However, the sentiment seems to have dramatically shifted in a matter of days. After getting banned from the Melee scene for inappropriate drunken antics on stream, Melee legend Joseph “Mang0” Marquez admitted on stream that he actually didn’t miss competitive Melee at all. In fact, he said he had no intentions of ever coming back, even after the ban lifted.

Traveling constantly just to win a few hundred bucks at tournaments wasn’t motivating to Mang0, especially without an esports organization to sponsor him. He added: “I’m too old for that shit.”

It’s not a surprising sentiment. Without Nintendo’s support, Melee tournaments are fully run by the community and organizers, including prize pools. It’s a game of passion. Of dedication. It’s not a game where you will get rich. Fuck, you won’t even make a living in most cases. Melee God Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma has even been funding his own locals in his home state of Florida and hosting his own tournament series online.

Without the passionate players, Melee would be dead. And that’s why it was a huge shock when Mang0 said he wouldn’t return.

“If you see me entering Melee, just know I desperately need money and everything went wrong,” Mang0 told his fans.

Fans begged him to come back, saying he sounded depressed and like he’d given up. They didn’t want to see him give up his passion. Well… What they believed was his passion. Many in the community started commenting on Mang0’s decision, some expressing concern for the former alcoholic and others standing with him, agreeing that Melee is doomed.

The Red Yoshi himself is another long-time Melee pro who has announced that he’s practically leaving the scene. Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto told his viewers on Twitch that he was not going to fly out for tournaments this year, explaining that he got a new job in 2025. His fans understood: His job and his wife come before Melee.

“I mean, it’s objectively a huge commitment for a video game,” said one fan. Especially one where you don’t make money.

Still, it felt like the end of an era.

“Can’t blame the guy,” said another fan. “Don’t wanna doom and gloom but personally, for the first time ever, it feels Melee is actually on a downtrend.”

Soon after, Melee legend Joshua “Joshman” Lyras announced on Twitch that he would “not be playing Melee more at all.” He wouldn’t even be streaming the game. It was another huge shock for the Smash community, who have been following Joshman’s journey for years. But now he was moving to Australia and quitting.

“A lot of the people I’ve grown up playing with are no longer playing. And it makes me sad,” he admitted. “I want to spend time with my friends from home, see my fam and shit like that.”

The greatest Melee player from Australia is leaving the scene.

But the Melee esports scene has hope that won’t quit

The Melee community has clearly taken a beating in January 2026. It’s been a massive rollercoaster, largely going downhill. As the Smash community continued to voice concerns with the future of Melee, Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson entered the chat.

“There has been talk lately about multiple top players taking a step back from Melee,” he wrote on X. “I get where they’re coming from. Over the years, your passion can go down. The people you used to know or play stop playing. You start finding other priorities.”

However, Axe said he’s “not quitting any time soon.”

He added that he’ll be going to big tournaments all year, starting with Genesis x3 in February. I’m heading there as well, hoping to see a ton of good Melee. It sucks to see so many top players taking a step back, whether it’s due to the game being broke or wanting to focus on work and family. But let’s be real, Melee won’t die.

Not yet.

You can expect some of the biggest names in Melee to continue the grind. There was never money in Melee. Nobody is expecting to cash out. Nobody is expecting Nintendo to swoop in. The people that grind Melee and compete in tourneys are here for the love of the game. And some people still love Melee. Some people even love Melee more than the other shit in their life.

I’m not ready to say Melee is dying. It’s upsetting to see so many well-known veterans leave the scene, but that’s not enough to kill a game that’s been around for a decade. The community still has a lot of fight left in it.