Super Smash Bros. series

COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash

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The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of a disease called coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 for short, caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (abbreviated to SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019, and recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 has been reported in more than 200 countries and territories, with major outbreaks occurring in mainland China, Europe, Iran, Latin America (especially Brazil), and the United States. On March 13th, the WHO stated that Europe had become the new epicenter of the pandemic. Public health responses have included national pandemic preparedness and response plans, travel restrictions, quarantines, curfews, event postponements and cancelations, and facility closures.

Despite the pandemic forcing the employees of Nintendo into working from home, development of Fighters Pass Vol. 2 was still able to continue without many issues. However, this caused Masahiro Sakurai to have to present the fighters from his house instead of his studio (with the exception of Sephiroth and Kazuya).

This pandemic has also affected the competitive Super Smash Bros. community through numerous tournament cancelations and postponements for public health safety.

Coronavirus disease 2019

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and loss of smell and taste. While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) possibly precipitated by cytokine storm, multi-organ failure, septic shock, and blood clots. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is typically around five days, but may range from two to fourteen days.

The virus is primarily spread between people during close contact, most often via small droplets produced by coughing, sneezing, and talking. The droplets usually fall to the ground or onto surfaces rather than travelling through air over long distances. However, the transmission may also occur through smaller droplets that are able to stay suspended in the air for longer periods of time in enclosed spaces, as typical for airborne diseases. Less commonly, people may become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face. It is most contagious during the first three days after the onset of symptoms, although spread is possible before symptoms appear, and from people who do not show symptoms.

Impacts on the competitive scene

The 2020 MPGR and Spring 2020 PGRU were frozen on March 12th, 2020. No further events, including CEO Dreamland 2020, would count towards player ranking.

Likewise, the Smash World Tour 2020 circuit announced that there would not be any Platinum- or Gold-tier events in March and April 2020; a later update further extended the date to June 1st, 2020. Silver events would continue as normal, however, it was recommended for sick people to stay home. Several events were canceled or postponed independently of Smash World Tour's rulings. Missed point opportunities were planned to be made up later. A TO relief fund shop was later opened on Smash.gg. With the pandemic shutting down offline tournaments for the rest of the year, the circuit was effectively cancelled. Two Silver events for Melee and three Silver events for Ultimate ended up being held. Smash World Tour 2021 was then announced on February 20th, 2021, with online qualifiers, offline regional qualifiers, and an offline finale. The online qualifiers ran as planned, but on June 21st, 2021, many of the regional qualifier tournaments were shifted back due to the pandemic still affecting some regions. The offline regional final for South America was canceled entirely. Instead, Chape and HP were chosen as the South American Melee finalists while the Ultimate qualifier was changed to online.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the evolution of the metagame in offline contexts has been largely unproven. This includes characters that received major changes during updates, but especially all downloadable characters that were released shortly before or during the global pandemic, starting with Terry. This also applies to the legality of the stages Small Battlefield, Minecraft World, and Northern Cave, which were added to the game during this time.

Online tournaments

While online tournaments had been a part of the scene for years, the cancellation of several high profile offline tournaments led many players to turn to online play for their tournament fixes. Many weeklies such as Xeno and Xanadu moved online, while tournaments such as the bunker down series and 2GG Crisis Core: Final Saga served as online fundraisers to help recoup losses. Several tournament series held online alternatives, including Pound Online, Collision Online, and Get On My Line 2020.

YouTubers Alpharad and Cr1tikal started hosting The Quarantine Series, a 4-month long circuit that has a prize pool ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per tournament and a planned $50,000 for the finale. In the first tournament of the circuit, over 5,000 entrants registered to play, making it the largest known online Smash tournament without factoring in disqualifications, defeating Soaked Series Invitational's record from a month earlier. This record was later defeated by Hungrybox's tournament The Box, which had over 8,000 entrants. Due to lots of players attending online tournaments, this led Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5 to make its rankings from 50 to 75 players.

As online play rewards different tactics from offline play, the new online tournaments differ somewhat from in-person tournaments; the added input delay and lag have allowed characters such as Sonic, Cloud, and Roy to see more success. Some controversy came about when players from distant regions such as Tarik participated in these tournaments, specifically Pound Online, with many players believing tournaments should be region-locked to reduce latency. As a result, all further tournaments in The Quarantine Series (and others such as The Box) were region-locked to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the prize pools were extended from the top 8 to top 16 to reduce the added stress with playing online. With many more players relying on online play, frustration with the game's online service grew to a peak; the hashtag "#FixUltimateOnline" became the number one gaming trend on Twitter on April 2, 2020. Possibly as a response to this outcry, in update 8.1.0 online play stability was slightly improved, by increasing the tick rate and slightly decreasing input delay.

After Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5 rankings, subscriber tournaments were now included, making monthlies like The Box: Lunch Box, M-Kolosseum (series), and Frame Perfect Series: ONLINE titles ongoing. Despite including subscriber tournaments, decreased player attendance in online tournaments made its ranking from 75 to 50 players.

As Super Smash Bros. Melee does not have native online play, players have to use netplay mods for emulators in order to compete online. The Dolphin emulator mod Project Slippi is one of such mods, and since June 2020 it features rollback netcode for Melee, allowing for stable online play across even long distances. However, the use of this mod has sparked controversy following the cancellation of The Big House Online, in response of a cease and desist from Nintendo.

Reopening

In regions with relatively few cases of COVID-19, such as Japan, Taiwan, Australia, the Middle East, and New Zealand, or that have otherwise allowed large gatherings, such as France and Germany, offline play has resumed, although with smaller entrant numbers and safety precautions enforced.

In early 2021, vaccines for COVID-19 began to roll out, and by May 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced fully vaccinated adults could stop wearing masks and social distancing.[1] Despite continued safety concerns, some American locals have reopened during this time with safety precautions. The first major tournament in the United States and worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic was InfinityCON Tally 2021, held in Florida on June 5th-6th, where 422 people attended, by a large margin the highest amount of any tournament since CEO Dreamland 2020, almost 14 months prior. It has since been followed by other large scale tournaments like Kagaribi 4, the first Japanese supermajor since the beginning of the pandemic.

List of offline tournaments during the pandemic

An icon for denoting incomplete things.

The following is a list of notable tournaments that were held offline during the pandemic, starting from the PGR freeze period on March 12th, 2020.

Tournament Dates Location Attendance Games
CEO Dreamland 2020 March 13th-15th, 2020 Orlando, Florida USA 970 SSB
Melee
Brawl
SSB4
Ultimate
Don't Stomp On Me March 14th, 2020 Corsicana, Texas USA 89 Melee
Keystoned IV March 14th-15th, 2020 Hatboro, Pennsylvania USA 50 SSB
RFTV DOJO - LA DESPEDIDA: Thanks For Playing March 14th-15th, 2020 Mexico City Mexico 138 Ultimate
Kurobra 20 March 21st, 2020 Fujisawa Japan 64 Ultimate
HKSBC Monthly Tournament for May 2020 May 30th, 2020 Kowloon Bay Hong Kong 48 Ultimate
XGT 2020 May May 30th, 2020 Taipei Taiwan 67 Ultimate
Maesuma TOP 3 July 4th, 2020 Osaka Japan 96 Ultimate
Breakpoint Ultimate - FOUR July 18th, 2020 Vienna Austria 96 Ultimate
Super Smash Stadium 1 July 25th, 2020 Villeneuve-d'Ascq France 144 Ultimate
Breakpoint Ultimate - FIVE August 22nd, 2020 Vienna Austria 88 Ultimate
Smash Odyssey GZstage August 22nd-23rd, 2020 Guangzhou China 74 Ultimate
Bour'pif Arena 6 August 30th, 2020 Thonon-les-Bains France 128 Ultimate
XGT 2020 September September 5th, 2020 Taipei Taiwan 52 Ultimate
Breakpoint Ultimate - SIX September 12th, 2020 Vienna Austria 94 Ultimate
Sumabato SP 13 September 20th, 2020 Osaka Japan 65 Ultimate
TWELVE I - 2020 September 26th, 2020 Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois France 121 Ultimate
Smash Contest: DoKomi 2020 September 26th-27th, 2020 Düsseldorf Germany 150 Ultimate
HKSBC 2nd Anniversary CUP October 10th, 2020 Kowloon Bay Hong Kong 53 Ultimate
WANTED SAISON 4 - 3 Years Anniversary October 10th, 2020 Créteil France 179 Ultimate
Sumabato SP 14 October 11th, 2020 Osaka Japan 96 Ultimate
Eastern Powerhouse Invitational FINAL October 24th, 2020 Kanto Japan 12 Ultimate
Maesuma TOP 4 October 31st-November 1st, 2020 Osaka Japan 128 Ultimate
Sumabato SP 15 November 15th, 2020 Osaka Japan 160 Ultimate
Kanto 2020 November 22nd, 2020 Tokyo Japan 41 SSB
Mēsuma November 29th, 2020 Aichi Prefecture Japan 128 Ultimate
Mountain Top 2 December 5th-6th, 2020 Guangzhou China 101 Ultimate
Kagaribi December 13th, 2020 Tokyo Japan 133 Ultimate
TFF2020 December 19th, 2020 TaipeiTaiwan 55 Ultimate
Pissmas 2 December 20th, 2020 Peachester Australia 131 Ultimate
TSC 13 December 26th, 2020 Miyagi Prefecture Japan 136 Ultimate
Sumabato SP 16 December 26th, 2020 Osaka Japan 128 Ultimate
TNT Nak 2021 January 24th, 2021 Lima Peru 20 SSB
Biggie III February 5th-7th, 2021 Wellington New Zealand 93 Melee
Ultimate
XGT 2021 February February 27th, 2021 Taipei Taiwan 64 Ultimate
Sumabato SP 17 March 7th, 2021 Osaka Japan 128 Ultimate
Kagaribi 3 March 26th-27th, 2021 Tokyo Japan 132 Ultimate
Xiamen Egret Cup March 27th, 2021 Xiamen China 50 Ultimate
XGT 2021 March March 27th, 2021 Taipei Taiwan 69 Ultimate
LEVELUP Arena Premier Tournament April 27th, 2021 Overland Park, Kansas USA 192 Ultimate
Smash Odyssey Reviewing Soldier May 2nd, 2021 Guangzhou China 51 Ultimate
Speedy Summit 3 May 15th, 2021 Provo, Utah United States 26 Ultimate
Spark Game Champions 2021 May 15th-16th, 2021 Beijing China 89 Ultimate
4o4 Smash Monthly 2 May 22nd, 2021 Atlanta, Georgia USA 72 Ultimate
Super Smash Stadium Édition Battlefield May 29th, 2021 Lille France 139 Ultimate
The 14th Year of our Boy, SHADIC May 29th, 2021 Austin, Texas USA 63 Ultimate
Super Smash Stadium Édition Peach Castle May 30th, 2021 Lille France 135 Ultimate
InfinityCON Tally 2021 June 5th-6th, 2021 Tallahassee, Florida USA 422 Ultimate
The Dungeon June 5th-6th, 2021 Colorado Springs, Colorado USA 186 Ultimate
Bay State Invitational Test Invitational June 10th, 2021 Boston, Massachusetts USA 32 Ultimate
Momentous June 12th, 2021 New York City, New York USA 16 Ultimate
Keystoned 4.5 June 19th-20th, 2021 Hatboro, Pennsylvania USA 42 SSB
Maji Georgia Invitational June 19th-20th, 2021 Johns Creek, Georgia USA 16 Ultimate
WANTED SAISON 4 - Chapter 2 June 20th, 2021 Créteil France 267 Ultimate
The New Norm #1 June 20th-21st, 2021 Los Angeles, California USA 69 Melee
Bourbon State Gaming: Stop Your Friendlies June 26th, 2021 Lexington, Kentucky USA 200 Ultimate
MUERTE AL ONLINE June 26th, 2021 MonterreyMexico 12 Ultimate
Ronin Rumble Cup June 26th, 2021 Alachua, Florida USA 183 Ultimate
Kagaribi 4 June 26th-27th, 2021 Tokyo Japan 386 Ultimate
TWELVE II - 2021 June 26th-27th, 2021 Paris France 187 Ultimate
GI Carnival July 3rd, 2021 Tokyo Japan 8 Ultimate
Maesuma TOP 5 July 3rd-4th, 2021 Osaka Japan 128 Ultimate
LEVELUP Arena 2 July 10th, 2021 Overland Park, Kansas USA 239 Ultimate
Abierto Puerto Vallarta July 10th-11th, 2021 Puerto Vallarta Mexico 113 Ultimate
Typhoon Saga 2021 July 11th, 2021 Marietta, Georgia USA 111 Ultimate
Smash Summit 11 July 15th-18th, 2021 Los Angels, California USA 16 Melee
Sumabato SP 18 July 23rd, 2021 Osaka Japan 128 Ultimate
MechaCon Omega July 23rd-25th, 2021 New Orleans, Louisiana USA 197 Ultimate
Sumabato SP 19 July 24th, 2021 Osaka Japan 128 Ultimate
Push the Limit 12 July 24th, 2021 Waitham, Massachussets USA 129 Ultimate
No Man's Land July 24th-25th, 2021 Wichita Falls, Texas USA 149 Ultimate
CROSSxUP July 25th, 2021 Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania USA 194 Ultimate
The Comeback July 31st, 2021 Laurel, Maryland USA 243 Ultimate
TEC Smash Down July 31st, 2021 Austin, Texas USA 65 Ultimate
Battle of Z: Toronto Strikes Back July 31st, 2021 Montreal Canada 153 Ultimate
Anime Houston 2021 August 6th-8th, 2021 Houston, Texas USA 113 Melee
Ultimate
Hællæwood Smash August 7th, 2021 Fredrikstad Norway 91 Ultimate
Smash Contest: DoKomi 2021 August 7th-8th, 2021 Düsseldorf Germany 318 Ultimate
Ultimate WANTED 3 August 12th-15th, 2021 Créteil France 532 Ultimate
Invasion August 14th, 2021 Birmingham UK 193 Ultimate
Hold That L #6 August 14th-15th, 2021 Chicago, Illinois USA 149 Melee
DATEV Ultimate Series - Prelude 5 August 21st, 2021 Nuremberg Germany 126 Ultimate
SWT: Central America Ultimate Regional Finals August 21st-22nd, 2021 unknown Mexico 16 Ultimate
Mega Smash Mondays 240 August 23rd, 2021 La Mirada, California USA 320 Ultimate
Smash Ultimate Summit 3 August 26th-29th, 2021 Los Angeles, California USA 16 Ultimate
Kamp Kone August 27th-30th, 2021 Derby UK 134 Melee
Back in Blood August 28th, 2021 Portland, Oregon USA 223 Ultimate
TGM Brawl 1 August 28th, 2021 Mainz Germany 128 Ultimate
SWT: Central America Melee Regional Finals August 28th-29th, 2021 unknown Mexico 16 Melee
Bour'pif Arena 7 August 28th-29th, 2021 Thonon-les-Bains France 128 Melee
Ultimate
Temple: Hermès Edition September 4th-5th, 2021 Villeneuve-d-Ascq France 863 Ultimate


List of tournaments affected by the pandemic

Below is a list of tournaments that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through cancellations, postponements, or major players dropping out.

March 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Umebura SP 8 March 7th, 2020 Japan Ultimate >800 Cancelled PGRU A-tier prior to cancellation
Emerald City 9 March 7th, 2020 Washington Melee, Ultimate, Project+ 470 Cancelled PGRU C-tier prior to cancellation. Project+ was still run. [1]
CEO Dreamland 2020 March 13th-15th, 2020 Florida 64, Melee, Brawl, Smash 4, Ultimate 971 Affected Several players dropped out; no longer Gold stop for SWT.
Poravaunu 9 March 14th-15th, 2020 Finland Melee, Ultimate ~80 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [2]
Shack Smash Ultimate invitational March 20th-21st, 2020 Texas Ultimate 16 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. [3]
Rock N' Roll March 21st, 2020 Spain Ultimate 144 Postponed Postponed initially to May 16th, but current status unknown; PGRU C-tier prior to postponement. [4]
Confluence March 21st, 2020 Illinois Melee, Ultimate, Project+ 115 Cancelled Postponed to an later date, ultimately cancelled. [5]
Home Sweet Home March 21st, 2020 Alabama Melee, Ultimate 187 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [6]
PRESS LESS 2020 March 21st, 2020 Canada Melee, Ultimate 231 Postponed Postponed indefinitely. PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus; SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [7]
Smashmania XIII March 21st, 2020 Texas Melee, Ultimate ??? Postponed Postoponed to an unknown date; SWT Silver prior to postponement. [8]
Smash 'n Warp 4 March 21st, 2020 France Ultimate ??? Cancelled SWT silver prior to cancellation [9]
DAT BlastZone 31: Revival March 21st, 2020 England Ultimate 128 Postponed Postponed indefinitely. PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus. [10]
Sumabato SP 13 March 22nd, 2020 Japan Ultimate 320 Postponed Postponed thrice, first to April 4th, then to July 24th, finally held on September 20th; PGRU B-tier prior to postponement. [11]
Final Round 2020 March 20th-22nd, 2020 Georgia Ultimate 64 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation [12]
CT Gamercon 4 March 21st-22nd, 2020 Connecticut Melee, Ultimate 157 Postponed Postponed to September 12th-13th, 2020, then later March 13th-14th, 2021, then to September 18th-19th, 2021; PGRU C-tier prior to postponement. [13][14]
WANTED Saison 3 - Chap 8: Invasion de l'Ouest II March 21st-22nd, 2020 France Ultimate 146 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [15]
NCS Major: Smashdown March 21st-22nd, 2020 Colorado Ultimate 80 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [16]
Smashdown 2020 March 21st-22nd, 2020 Colombia Melee, Ultimate 149 Postponed PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus; SWT Silver prior to postponement. [17]
BIT MASTER MTY 10 March 27th-28th, 2020 Mexico Ultimate 264 Postponed Postponed to a later date; SWT Silver prior to cancellation, and PGRU B-tier prior to PGRU hiatus [18]
Michigan M@sters 2020 March 27th-29th, 2020 Michigan Ultimate ??? Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation [19]
Full Bloom 6 March 28th-29th, 2020 Indiana Melee, Ultimate 485 Cancelled PGRU C-tier prior to cancellation. [20]
CGN OPEN March 28th, 2020 Germany Ultimate 105 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. SWT Silver prior to initial cancellation. An online alternative was also created. [21]
Seibugeki 5 March 28th, 2020 Japan Ultimate 138 Cancelled [22]
HFLAN Melee Edition 2020 March 28th-29th, 2020 France Melee 193 Postponed Initially postponed to an unknown fall date. Later postponed to March or April 2021, but current status unknown. Originally first SWT Platinum event. [23][24]
2GG: Final Saga March 28th-29th, 2020 SoCal Ultimate 732 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date, later to September 4th-6th, 2021, later again to December 18th-20th, 2021. PGRU S-tier prior to PGRU hiatus. [25][26]
Union March 28th-29th, 2020 England Ultimate 128 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date, later to 2022. PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus; SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [27][28]

April 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Pound 2020 April 3rd-5th, 2020 MD/VA Melee, Ultimate 911 Cancelled PGRU B-tier and SWT Platinum prior to cancellation. Later replaced by Pound Online. [29]
Invasion April 4th, 2020 England Ultimate 192 Postponed All Italians dropped out; renamed from "Invasion: Italy". Later postponed to November 14th. Later postponed again to June 26th, 2021. Later postponed again on August 14th, 2021. [30][31][32]
Smash Clash Munich April 4th, 2020 Germany Ultimate 46 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [33]
HSTSP Extend April 4th, 2020 Japan Ultimate 192 Cancelled PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus [34]
Golden Flame April 4th-5th, 2020 France Ultimate 64 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. [35]
NorCal Regionals 2020 April 10th-12th NorCal Ultimate 37 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation [36]
Smash Odyssey: Ghent 2 April 11th, 2020 Belgium Ultimate 34 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date, hopefully June or July. [37]
Tech Republic V April 11th-12th, 2020 Spain Ultimate 218 Cancelled PGRU B-tier prior to cancellation. [38]
Atlantis April 18th, 2020 Netherlands Ultimate 66 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. SWT Silver prior to postponement. [39]
Collision 2020 April 18th-19th, 2020 New Jersey Ultimate 390 Cancelled Initially postponed to August 22nd-23rd. PGRU A-tier prior to PGRU hiatus. [40][41]
Boss Battle Remix April 24th-25th, 2020 Indiana 64 31 Cancelled Postponed to an unknown date, later cancelled. [42][43]
Nick Yingling Experience April 25th, 2020 Arizona Melee 70 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [44]
Karisuma SP 9 April 25th, 2020 Japan Ultimate 160+ Cancelled PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus. [45]
OVERDRIVE April 25th-26th, 2020 France Ultimate 106 Cancelled Solary Circuit frozen as well. [46]
Polish Smash Phoenix 2 April 25th-26th, 2020 Poland Melee, Ultimate 48 Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. SWT Silver prior to postponement. [47]

May 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Kings of Hali 5 May 1st-3rd, 2020 Canada Melee, Ultimate, Project+ 201 Cancelled PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus; SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [48]
ICARUS VI May 2nd-3rd, 2020 Italy Ultimate 217 Postponed Postponed to October 9th-10th, but current status unknown. [49]
Umebura Japan Major 2020 May 4th-6th, 2020 Japan Ultimate ? Cancelled SWT Platinum then removed from SWT prior cancellation. [50]
Crown II May 9th-10th, 2020 Utah Melee, Ultimate 117 Cancelled SWT Silver prior to cancellation. [51]
Stunfest 2020 May 15th-17th, 2020 France Melee, Ultimate 156 Cancelled PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus [52]
Get On My Level 2020 May 15th-17th, 2020 Canada Melee, Ultimate N/A Cancelled Initially postponed indefinitely; every GOML North American Open tournament states that Get On My Level 2020 will not happen. PGRU S-tier prior to PGRU hiatus; SWT Platinum prior to SWT hiatus. [53]
MomoCon 2020 May 21st-24th, 2020 Georgia Melee, Ultimate ? Cancelled SWT Gold prior to cancellation. [54]
Smash Contest: DoKomi 2020 May 23rd-24th, 2020 Germany Ultimate 166 Postponed Postponed to September 12th-13th, then finally held on September 26th-27th. PGRU C-tier prior to PGRU hiatus. [55]
Battle Arena Melbourne 12 May 29th-31st, 2020 Australia 64, Melee, Ultimate, Project+ ~100 Postponed Postponed a couple of times, eventually to an unspecified date in May 2022; SWT Platinum prior to postponement. [56][57][58]

June 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Double Down June 5th-7th, 2020 Nevada Melee, Ultimate ??? Postponed Postponed until further notice. SWT Platinum prior to postponement. [59]
COST 2020 June 7th Ohio Melee, Ultimate 173 Cancelled [60]
Smash Ultimate Summit 3 June 11th-14th, 2020 SoCal Ultimate 16 Postponed Initially postponed, later cancelled, then later reopened for August 26th-29th, 2021. [61][62]
Battle of BC 4 June 19th-21st, 2020 Canada Melee, Ultimate 158 Cancelled SWT Gold prior to cancellation. [63]
e-Caribana June 21st, 2020 Switzerland Ultimate 16 Cancelled 2020 iteration cancelled. PGRU B-tier prior to PGRU hiatus.
CEO 2020 June 26th-28th, 2020 Florida Ultimate ??? Cancelled Postponed to December 11th-13th, 2020 and later cancelled. SWT Gold prior to cancellation. [64][65]

July 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Low Tier City Expo 2020 July 10th-12th, 2020 Texas 64, Melee, Ultimate, Project+ 330 Cancelled 2020 iteration cancelled. SWT Platinum prior to cancellation [66]
COLOSSEL 2020 July 11th-12th, 2020 France Ultimate 348 Cancelled 2020 iteration cancelled. [67]
Fête 2020 July 23rd-26th, 2020 United Kingdom Melee N/A Cancelled SWT Gold prior to cancellation. [68]
Smash Factor 9 July 24th-26th, 2020 Mexico 64, Melee, Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed indefinitely. SWT Platinum prior to postponement. [69]
EVO 2020 July 31st-August 2nd, 2020 Nevada Ultimate N/A Cancelled Replaced with online event, but Smash Ultimate was cut from lineup. Online event was later cancelled due to sexual allegations. [70][71]

August 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Super Smash Con 2020 August 6th-9th, 2020 Virginia 64, Melee, Brawl, Smash 4, Ultimate, Project+ N/A Cancelled SWT Platinum prior to cancellation. [72]
FESTA August 16th-22nd, 2020 Sweden Melee N/A Postponed Postponed to August 15th-21st, 2021, then later to July 17th-23rd, 2022. [73][74]
Biggie III August 21st-23rd, 2020 New Zealand Melee, Ultimate 87+ Postponed Postponed to February 5th-7th, 2021 due to confirmed community transmmission in New Zealand. [75]
Shine 2020 August 28th-30th, 2020 Massachusetts Melee, Ultimate N/A Cancelled [76]

September 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Standoff 2020 September 4th-6th, 2020 Texas Ultimate, Project+ N/A Cancelled [77]
DreamHack Montreal 2020 September 11th-13th, 2020 Canada Melee, Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed until 2021, will likely keep current name. [78]
Riptide September 11th-13th, 2020 Ohio Melee, Ultimate, Project+ N/A Postponed Cancelled, then reopened for September 10th-12th, 2021 [79][80]
Smash Dream Cup September 12th-13th, 2020 Mexico Ultimate 48 Postponed Postponed until March 13th-14th 2021, but current status unknown. [81]
Glitch: Infinite September 19th-20th, 2020 MD/VA Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. SWT Gold prior to postponement [82]

October 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
The Big House 10 October 2020 Michigan N/A N/A Cancelled Scheduled for October prior to cancellation. It was then replaced by The Big House Online. The Big House Online was then canceled by Nintendo of America, due to the usage of Project Slippi. This caused heavy backlash towards the cease and desist from Nintendo, with the trending use of #FreeMelee. [83][84]
Ultimate Fighting Arena 2020 October 4th-6th, 2020 France Ultimate N/A Cancelled [85]
Phoenix Revengeance October 10th-11th, 2020 Chile Ultimate 40 Postponed Postponed to October 9th-10th, 2021, SWT Silver prior to postponement [86]
The Script Trilogy October 10th-11th, 2020 Maryland Melee N/A Postponed Postponed indefintely, SWT Gold prior to postponement [87]
DreamHack Rotterdam 2020 October 16th-18th, 2020 Netherlands Melee, Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to 2021 [88]
Overlords of Orlando: OCTOBERLORDS 2 October 16th-18th, 2020 Florida Melee, Ultimate N/A Cancelled [89]
Blacklisted 6 October 17th-18th, 2020 Massachusetts Project+ N/A Postponed Postponed to April 24th-25th, 2021; then to November 6th-7th, 2021. [90][91]
Revival: A SmashUK Invitational October 17th-18th, 2020 United Kingdom Ultimate 16 Postponed The tournament, which was to feature some of the United Kingdom's best players, was announced hours before the United Kingdom government restricted social gatherings to 6 people. The decision to postpone indefinitely was announced the next day. [92]
Mainstage 2 October 23rd-25th, 2020 SoCal Melee, Ultimate N/A Cancelled [93]
United LAN 2020 October 23rd-27th, 2020 Germany Ultimate 52 Postponed Postponed to Summer 2021. [94]
First Attack 2020 Octoer 24th-25th, 2020 Puerto Rico Ultimate N/A Cancelled Replaced by Online event of the same name. [95]
Port Priority 6 October 31st-November 1st, 2020 Washington Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to October 2nd-3rd, 2021, later to October 30th-31st. SWT Gold prior to postponement [96][97]

November 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
DreamHack Atlanta 2020 November 13th-15th, 2020 Georgia Melee, Ultimate N/A Cancelled 2020 iteration cancelled and moved to 2021

[98]

Apex 2020 November 20th-22nd, 2020 New Jersey Melee, Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to 2021. SWT Gold prior to postponement. [99]

December 2020

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
2GG 5th Anniversary Saga December 5th-6th, 2020 SoCal Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to an unknown date. [100]
Crossover Summit December 10th-13th, 2020 SoCal Melee, Ultimate 32 Cancelled [101]

January 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Sumabato SP 17 January 9th, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Postponed Initially cancelled due to a state of emergency from a surge of infections. Later held on March 7th. [102]
Kagaribi 1.5 January 10th, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Cancelled Cancelled due to a state of emergency from a surge of infections. [103]
Kagaribi 2 January 24th, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Cancelled Cancelled due to a state of emergency from a surge of infections. [104]

February 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Maesuma TOP 5 February 23rd, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Postponed Delayed repeatedly, finally set to take place on July 3rd-4th, 2021. [105][106][107][108][109]

April 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
Sumabato SP 18 April 24th, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Postponed First postponed to May 29th, then postponed until further notice. The final date was announced to be July 23rd, 2021, with Sumabato SP 19 to be held the very next day. [110][111][112]
Kagaribi 4 April 25th, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Postponed First postponed to May 22nd, then postponed to June 26th-27th. [113][114]

May 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
15th Kanto May 2nd, 2021 Japan 64 N/A Cancelled Cancelled due to an emergency declaration in Tokyo. Now planned to be held in summer or autumn. [115]
Temple: Hermès Edition May 29th-30th, 2021 France Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to September 4th-5th, 2021.

June 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
SWT: Oceania Melee & Ultimate Regional Finals June 25th-27th, 2021 Australia Melee, Ultimate 32 Postponed Postponed to August 27th-29th, 2021, then postponed to November 12th-14th. [116][117]

July 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
SWT: East Asia Ultimate Regional Finals July 3rd-4th, 2021 Japan Ultimate 16 Postponed Postponed to September 25th-26th, 2021, then postponed to November 6th-7th, 2021. [118][119]
SWT: East Asia Melee Regional Finals July 10th-11th, 2021 Japan Melee 16 Postponed Postponed to October 2nd-3rd, 2021, then postponed to November 23rd-24th, 2021. [120][121]
SWT: Europe Ultimate Regional Finals July 17th-18th, 2021 Europe Ultimate 16 Postponed Postponed to September 18th-19th, 2021. [122]
SWT: South America Melee & Ultimate Regional Finals July 30th-August 1st, 2021 South America Melee, Ultimate 32 Cancelled Cancelled due to severe COVID-19 transmission in South America. Ultimate finals to be held online on August 1st. Melee finals cancelled, Chape and HP selected as the finalists by the Melee panel. [123]
Kagaribi 5 July 31st, 2021 Japan Ultimate N/A Postponed Postponed to August 29th, 2021, then postponed to October 31st, 2021. [124][125]

August 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
SWT: Europe Melee Regional Finals August 7th-8th, 2021 Europe Melee 16 Postponed Postponed to August 14th-15th, then to October 23-24th. [126][127]

September 2021

Tournament Original Dates Region Games Tentative Attendance Status Notes Source
SWT: Central America Melee Regional Finals September 4th-5th, 2021 Central America Ultimate 16 Anticipated Anticipated to August 28th-29th, 2021 due to the rescheduling of other tournaments. [128]
SWT: NA West Ultimate Regional Finals September 25th-26th, 2021 United States Ultimate 16 Postponed Postponed to October 9th-10th, 2021. [129]

References