Yet another prominent member of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community has been removed from competitive play following abhorrent behavior. Recent harmful statements from Epic_Gabriel were brought to public attention through a callout post, resulting in wider community awareness of his problematic nature.
Previously something of a rising star in the community, Epic_Gabriel was set to participate in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament at the upcoming CyPhaCon Mini event hosted by Scion Esports. However, a recent statement from Scion Esports completely changed the discussion around the player.
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The removal comes after a Twitter user shared screenshots showing in detail Epic_Gabriel's frequent use of racist, homophobic and transphobic slurs in Discord conversations, some as recent as this week. The ban came quickly, with less than a day passing before the statement from Scion Esports. Following this, he is also being banned from all events run by Team Liquid and is being denounced by many prominent members of the Super Smash Bros. competitive community.
Among the jokes at the expense of ROB mains, a screenshot of the announcement posted on Reddit also gathered Super Smash Bros. fans who had witnessed previous problematic behavior from Epic_Gabriel. One comment accuses him of sending his fanbase to leave hateful comments directed at another streamer he lost a match to. This combined with the screenshots indicate that his poor behavior has gone on for a long time, but it appears that only recently traction on the issue was gained.
The rapid response from Scion Esports is admirable, as the difference of only a few hours is an incredibly short timeframe to have handled everything in. Through the action, Scion Esports have indicated the high level of priority given to issues like these and are contributing to a safer environment for marginalized members of the Super Smash Bros. competitive community. Sadly, prominent Smash Bros. players have been exposed for abhorrent behavior before, so hopefully the response sets a precedent for a safer community going forward.
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competitive community faces many current issues, both from within the community and from Nintendo itself due to its active hostility toward independent events and the modding community working to keep the older entries alive. However, despite the adversity, the fanbase continues to appreciate the series. Super Smash Bros. is incredibly popular despite its issues, and the community is a major contributor to its lasting success.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.
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Sources: Twitter/Scion Esports, Twitter/BubbyNE, Twitter/LIQUID L4st