Super Smash Bros. professional player Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman has been banned from attending a tournament in Austin, Texas, due to his social media posts of bug bites covering his legs and hands. Throughout his esports career, Mew2King established a reputation for his knowledge of Super Smash Bros. game mechanics and his analytical approach towards each playable character.
Mew2King became known among Melee competitors for starting out as Fox McCloud, one of the most influential fighters that set the tone for future Smash Bros. titles. However, Mew2King has since moved to playing as Marth and Sheik in Melee, with Fox as a backup option. By comparison, he plays primarily as Pyra, Mythra, and Incineroar in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The 37-year-old competitor has earned over $284,000 in prize winnings since 2005.
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Mew2King Turned Away From Tournament Due to Bug Bite Pictures
Though Mew2King was originally scheduled to appear at a competitive fighting game tournament, the event’s CEO stated that viral social media posts from the longtime Super Smash Bros. competitor gave cause for concern. As reported by IGN, Xtreme Fighters Showdown (XFS) announced on October 16 that Mew2King was “politely informed” that he could not participate or attend the Austin event after he posted pictures of bug bites on his body. XFS CEO M333 stated that the health and wellbeing of all attendees was a top priority. Mew2King stated days before the event that he was open to participating in Doubles matches in Melee and in friendly exhibition matches in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at XFS. The tournament concludes on Saturday, October 17.
Since XFS barred Mew2King from the tournament, the Super Smash Bros. professional has since taken down the original post of his bug bites. Some users have speculated that the cause of the bites may be from a bed bug infestation, which can spread from luggage and clothing if left untreated. Ergo, XFS’ decision to keep Mew2King away from the tournament was likely done to prevent the potential spread of any bugs from affecting tournament goers. The incident is not the first time that tournaments have drawn controversy over player hygiene. During a Pokemon Regionals tournament in Baltimore, a Pokemon VGC player complained that he fell ill due to another competitor’s body odor, as the stench reportedly caused him to vomit.
Although the Super Smash Bros. franchise continues to be supported at tournaments across the globe, Nintendo’s brawler series is in a lull as of this writing. The last major release from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came in September 2021, when Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series was announced as the game’s final DLC fighter. Although Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is playable on Nintendo Switch 2, the game has not yet received a proper upgrade that takes advantage of the console’s upgraded hardware compared to the original Switch.
Despite the apparent content drought, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate continues to receive patches to address bugs and other concerns that can still appear. All in all, Super Smash Bros. players are waiting to see what the next move from the franchise will be.
Released
December 7, 2018
ESRB
E for Everyone: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief, Suggestive Themes
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
