Hungrybox urges Nintendo to support Melee scene as he wins Smash Summit 9

• Hungrybox won Smash Summit 9 in a tense final with Plup
• He made a plea to Nintendo in his victory speech calling for them to support the scene
• There were plenty of upsets at Smash Summit 9 too

Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma faced Justin “Plup” McGrath in the grand finals of Smash Summit 9, with the latter reasserting his position as a top tier Super Smash Bros. Melee player.

After a poor showing at Genesis 7 where he failed to make top eight, Plup pulled off an incredible comeback at Smash Summit 9 in Los Angeles, California - making it all the way to the final after beating heavyweights Zain Naghmi and Joseph “Mang0” Marquez.

Going up against Hungrybox’s Jigglypuff in the final, Plup managed to reset the bracket 3-1 in the first set - putting on a strong performance where he looked set to go all the way.

Hungrybox versus Plup in the final (Picture: Twitch)

In the second set, Hungrybox took an early lead winning both the first and second game. Plup showed signs of a comeback winning the third, but it wasn’t quite enough, with Hungrybox winning the final 3-1.

Hungrybox bags the majority of a $69,000 prize pool, and following his win made a public plea to Nintendo encouraging them to support the Smash competitive scene.

“I really do wish if anyone from Nintendo corporate is watching this right now, if anyone is seeing the amount of excitement these sets can get, just give Melee a chance," Hungrybox said on stream.

“Even if it’s just Ultimate, support the Ultimate scene, support the Smash scene in general.

“Nintendo I love you guys but you’re the only one not putting in resources into the scene, look at Capcom Cup, look at that celebration, look at Fortnite, this is the step you’re missing and if you did that the culture and the appreciation you guys would receive would be bar none unlike anything you’ve received.

"I hope you’re listening and I know this is a shot in the dark, but please support Smash tournaments.”

Nintendo's lack of support for Smash Bros. events has come under closer scrutiny in recent months, after EVO Japan 2020 saw the Smash Ultimate winner receive a Switch Pro Controller as the top prize instead of cash.

While it's likely Nintendo will simply ignore Hungrybox's plea, having previously explained their stance on the matter, it's notable one of the biggest names in the competitive scene is actively calling them out on it - especially as Ultimate continues to be the biggest fighting game at tournaments. 

There were a few surprise results at Smash Summit 9 too, with William “Leffen” Hjelte failing to make it to top eight after losing to Cody “IBDW” Schwab.

Genesis 7 champion Zain also finished in fourth place, with Plup sending him to losers bracket in a straight 3-0 win, only for Mang0 to knock him out the tournament in a tense 3-2 match-up.

You can check out the full Smash Summit 9 top eight below.

1. Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma
2. Justin “Plup” McGrath
3. Joseph “Mang0” Marquez
4. Zain Naghmi
5. Cody “IBDW” Schwab
6. Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson
7. Aziz “Hax” Al-Yami
8. Shephard “Fiction” Lima

The next big Super Smash Bros. tournament is Frostbite 2020, where the best players in Smash Ultimate will come together in Detroit, US from 21-23rd February.