PPMD, Mango Interviewed Following Recent Team Pickups

[Smashboards]

PPMD and Mango were recently interviewed by onGamers, the CBSi initiative to cover eSports after branching off from Gamespot in Q4 of 2013. PPMD joined team Evil Geniuses this past week after Mango joined team Cloud 9. Since March, 6 Super Smash Brothers players have been picked up by teams looking for exposure entering this summers season of big tournaments, including Smashboards partnered CEO 2014. The current landscape for Smash players now looks like this:

• Ken - Team Liquid
• KoreanDJ - Team Liquid
• Chillindude829 - Team Curse
• Hungrybox - Team Curse
• Mango - Cloud 9
• PPMD - Evil Geniuses

These team pickups are a new chapter in the Platinum Age that started in 2013 with a charity drive where Smashers raised nearly $100,000 for breast cancer research. In the summer of 2013, Smash Melee broke 130,000 concurrent viewers at EVO, becoming briefly the most watched fighting game stream in history. Then, at the end of 2013, the Smash Brothers documentary was revealed to extremely positive reception - including being considered "The best eSports documentary of all time." While the Smash community has always been one of the three largest fighting games, seeing an average of over 700 live tournaments a year since 2007, 2014 looks to be a new high water mark as the scene is on pace to hold over 1,000 live events. As such, many eSport organizations are finally beginning to take notice of what thousands of players have been traveling for every weekend for years.

Both PPMD and Mango were asked about the new era of Smash - this "Platinum Age":

PPMD said of the new era

"Smash has never seen sponsors of any kind until very recently. The fact that we are getting big enough to receive more notoriety from huge companies means that the success the community has waited years and years for has finally come.

I am proud of all of the hugely sponsored players and am excited to see more exposure and money come into the game, while esports itself will likely benefit from the raw enthusiasm and competitive spirit that characterizes so much of our community. This can only bring great things!"​

Mango said of the new era

"This current era of Smash will blow all other eras of Smash out of the water. I always knew if people gave Smash a chance they'd realize that it is a great game that's fun to play and watch. I'm just glad the game is getting the love and respect it deserves.

With all of us getting picked up by teams, it will show lower level players that there are big sponsorships out there if you work hard enough. It can only benefit the community in so many great ways.

This will show people that Smash is more than a "party game" and that now people are getting big time sponsorships for being good at it. I can't imagine the scene not getting bigger after all these sponsorships, it will definitely bring new viewers."​

Read the full interview with PPMD at onGamers here!
Read the full interview with Mango at onGamers here!

 

[Element of Smash]

I'm calling Fnatic to pick up a player or two next.

Dare I say Team SoloMid?

 

[Yomi-no-Kuni]

"hugely sponsored players"
"big sponsorships"

yeah, that sounds nice :D

 

[Your local Hipster]

http://smashboards.com/search/466177/?q=Project+m+tournament&o=date&c[user][0]=225623

 

[Life]

I'm calling Fnatic to pick up a player or two next.

Dare I say Team SoloMid?

As for TSM, Regi said in a recent AMA that he's looking into doing it eventually but suggested it wouldn't be soon.

 

[Mr.Random]

I KNEW DR.PEEPEE WAS AN EVIL GENIUS! I JUST KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just kidding, congrats Kevin.

 

[Gastogh]

[A]rmada!
[A]rmada!
[A]rmada!

 

[MelchizedekVD]

Represent, PP!!! GET SOME!

 

[Adond]

Nintendo | Sakurai let the Invitationals Begins!!!

 

[ShinsuYavi]

"The Platinum Age." I like the sound of that, but why platinum?

It is very interesting how a +10 year old game like Melee is only now beginning to rise into sponsorship and (relatively) massive publicity. Has anything like this ever happened to another game? It really is quite a miraculous turn of events and I feel extremely happy for the long-time Smashers who've been eagerly waiting and actively working to make this age a reality.

Melee really is a special gem, to be sure. A beautiful, sharp, gem that has yet to be polished and carved into something wonderful. I can't wait to see the final product.

 

[DrizzyDrew]

it is great to see smash getting more noticed in the fighting game community

 

[Ringedge]

Did everyone just forget about Shroomed getting sponsored by Macro Micro Gaming? Or was him getting sponsored a joke I don't know about? 'Cause I looked on Macro Micro and couldn't find the article I read on him joining...

 

[Sw0rds]

One of my favourite smash players, now a part of one of my favorite competitive teams, it cant get any better than that :D
Its fitting Mango join the glorious Cloud 9

 

[Gladiator]

I know that it would NEVER happen but I would love to see Nintendo sponser some players.

 

[Nguz95]

"The Platinum Age." I like the sound of that, but why platinum?

It is very interesting how a +10 year old game like Melee is only now beginning to rise into sponsorship and (relatively) massive publicity. Has anything like this ever happened to another game? It really is quite a miraculous turn of events and I feel extremely happy for the long-time Smashers who've been eagerly waiting and actively working to make this age a reality.

Melee really is a special gem, to be sure. A beautiful, sharp, gem that has yet to be polished and carved into something wonderful. I can't wait to see the final product.

I think the term platinum age refers to the last time Smash was at MLG, meaning that now is the second "Golden Age" to occur during the game's lifetime.

 

[Enrapture]

All in all, congrats to every Smasher on their sponsors. I'm glad to see some old faces (Ken, KDJ) get back into the scene on a serious level with these new squads.

 

[Sw0rds]

I know that it would NEVER happen but I would love to see Nintendo sponser some players.

But we all know thats never going to happen because Nintendo is completely against competitive playing of Smash

 

[Enrapture]

But we all know thats never going to happen because Nintendo is completely against competitive playing of Smash

They're hosting an invitational...maybe they're beginning to open up to us.. (Maybe they know we're their only hope..)

 

[Sw0rds]

They're hosting an invitational...maybe they're beginning to open up to us.. (Maybe they know we're their only hope..)

That's true, but they're stubborn, so they wont be as open as some would like.
It's more that, the community wants something and we work for the community, so to succeed we need to do what the consumer wants
So they have to please the majority even if they dont really want too

 

[Happy18]

Why has no one picked up the M2K yet????

 

[Cancel]

Why has no one picked up the M2K yet????

Isnt he like in EMP or something?

 

[TheSqushiestManatee]

testing. sorry

 

[Modesty]

Why has no one picked up the M2K yet????

I told Link from CLG to pick him up on his ama Honestly I wouldn't be surprised at all to see CLG pick someone up. This seems right up Hotshot and Kelby's alley.

 

[Sw0rds]

Why has no one picked up the M2K yet????