The competitive Super Smash Bros. community is once again embroiled in an unfortunate controversy. Following a series of messages posted on social media by player Aziz "Hax" Al-Yami, a group of Super Smash Bros. tournament organizers and event holders have mutually agreed to ban the player indefinitely. The two rules cited as having been broken by Hax include harassment and defamation offenses. Hax has since posted a message on social media apologizing for his "mistakes."
With a document signed by 29 different tournament organizers, a detailed summary of the situation was provided. The document cites Hax making several "baseless accusations" toward another Super Smash Bros.competitive player named Leffen. As examples, the document says Hax "compared Leffen's behavior to a totalitarian regime." Other comments from Hax revolve around defamatory statements regarding Leffen's views of another controversial player in the Super Smash Bros. community named Zero.
The Super Smash Bros. tournament organizers went on to state that these comments constitute harassment and defamation to a degree that it's unacceptable to accept Hax at future events. Additionally, the TOs state Hax has both refused to recant his statements and further has doubled down on what he describes as the goals of his own "campaign." As such, the TOs agreed that Hax's actions do not deserve to be treated as a mistake, but rather malicious and with intent to harm.
Two rules are cited from the Code of Conduct used for Super Smash Bros. tournament events. Section 2.2.1 refers to malicious intimidation, harassment, and bullying by language or conduct. Section 2.3.3 refers to malicious gossip with an intent to manipulate, as well as defamation of character. The Code of Conduct recommends a punishment of up to 6 months and up to 2 years for breaking each respective rule. However, the TOs agreed an indefinite ban was appropriate given the severity of the situation and the goal of ensuring the safety of all competitors and community members.
The TOs included in the statement include organizers such as Alex Jebailey, the TO for CEO and DreamHack; Boback Vakili and Sheridan "Dr. Z" Zalewski, the TOs of Genesis; Robin "Juggleguy" Harn, the TO of The Big House; Matthew "MattDotZeb" Zaborowski of Shine, and over a dozen others. While they don't make up the entirety of the Super Smash Bros. competitive tournament scene --EVO owner PlayStation and Frostbite's TOs are notably absent-- the breadth of the ban is substantial.
Following the announcement of his punishment, Hax posted a statement on his Twitter account announcing that he would be taking a hiatus. He clarifies that he believes it isn't possible "for me to discuss much at this time," but apologizes for his mistakes. He goes on to ask his followers to "remember me for who I was a month ago" and believes "the mistakes I've made are redeemable." His statement makes no mention of Leffen or his indefinite ban.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Switch.