The EVO Tournament is always a popular event! But this year, there were some issues surrounding the inclusion of Smash Bros. Melee in the tourney, with Nintendo’s legal team originally declining to give permission for the game to be live streamed—fortunately for everyone, Nintendo of America did in fact retract that decision rather quickly afterward, and plans moved forward.
Good move, Nintendo! The melee event ended up breaking EVO records for the number of concurrent viewers online, hitting a staggering 130,000 viewers. That definitely says something about the Smash Bros. franchise’s longevity and endurance, and just how much fans of the series continue to enjoy it… even if it’s someone else playing!
Andrew Groen, a writer for the Penny Arcade Report, Tweeted that those at the event definitely didn’t stay silent about how they felt:
Thousands at the Melee finals chanting “ONE MORE YEAR” sending a message to Nintendo that they want this back next year. 130,000 watching.
— Andrew Groen (@ScienceGroen) July 14, 2013
Despite the early troubles, everything was resolved and the event was a huge success. Undoubtedly if the idea was pitched to return next year, we’d see everything happen without a second thought.
