- Hungrybox assumes the position of chief Smash officer on Freshcut
- Players, tournament organizers, and creators alike will be eligible to receive funds
- The exact mechanisms of how this will happen have not yet been revealed
With sponsors pulling back and tournaments being canceled, Freshcut and Hubgrybox aim to help the struggling pro Smash community with a new $100K community investment.
Hungrybox and Freshcut Collaborate
Competitive Smash has not been having it particularly easy these past few months. Ever since Nintendo canceled the entirety of the 2023 circuit, the community was left with only events organized by third parties. The overall ecosystem has seen a decline in the number of tournaments, with many events being canceled.
But there is still hope for Smash fans, as Freshcut recently announced that it’s creating a $100,000 Smash Community Fund led by none other than legendary Smash Melee player Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma. The 29-year-old assumes the position of chief Smash officer on Freshcut, aiming to lead the way for the community funding.
The aim of Freshcut’s program is to provide financial support to players, tournament organizers, and creators alike in order to keep the Smash ecosystem healthy. Although the actual mechanism of how an individual or organization can receive funds has not yet been clarified, Freshcut has asked people to stay tuned in the next few weeks.
“Introducing the $100,000 Smash Community Fund, available to players, creators and tournament organizers,” Freshcut’s official statement reads. “For our local and regional organizers, you’ll have the opportunity to receive promotion, marketing and funding support from FreshCut. We’ll also be introducing fun campaigns like weekly clip contests, monthly local hero initiatives, and more!”
Programs like these have been keeping the competitive Smash scene alive as more and more tournaments are being canceled and organizers forego hosting events. One of the most recent victims of this trend was Shine, which announced it’s hosting its last-ever Smash Bros tournament this summer, the chief reason being a lack of funds.
Hungrybox said that the Smash scene needs all the help it can get right now. This is why he is teaming up with Freshcut, aiming to ensure fans can still play the game they like. The game itself isn’t going anywhere, but with tournaments being in a tough spot, its popularity might drop.
For their part, Frechcut hope to receive more traffic for their app and also “create a thriving Smash community where fans each day are served the best and latest content from players, creators, and tournament organizers.”
