Hax$ banned from Smash Summit 11 after rant bashing Leffen
“I’m legit concerned with my safety at events with this level of things.”
That was William “Leffen” Hjelte on Twitter following Smash player Aziz “Hax$” Al-Yami releasing a 2.5 hour-long video comparing Leffen to dictators like Adolf Hitler. Hax$ explained that the Melee community is reaching a “dystopian future” that was the result of “evil” people like Leffen manipulating the scene.
Following the shocking video, Leffen expressed concern. He said he wasn’t even sure what to do.
Luckily for Leffen, most of the Smash community was on his side, calling Hax$ “unhinged” and “crazy.” While some of Hax$’s points were seen as valid, like Leffen being a bully and toxic on Twitter, the rant was overall seen as problematic and anti-Asian. The comparisons to Hitler and other past leaders also seemed to take away from Hax$’s points and made the video too extreme for most people in the Smash scene.
This apparently included Beyond the Summit, popular Smash tournament organizers. The company announced yesterday that Hax$ was no longer welcome at Smash Summit 11.
“Many people have expressed concerns about the content of Hax$’s video to us,” Beyond the Summit explained. “We take the safety of our Smash Summit 11 players and attendees very seriously and do not condone behavior that encourages harassment or threats towards any of our players or staff.”
After reviewing Hax$’s video, Beyond the Summit decided that the Smash player won’t be allowed to attend the event in any capacity.
— Beyond the Smash (@BTSsmash) June 9, 2021
Hax$ did not outright respond to the news but tweeted something soon after the announcement. He explained that the “other side” is brainwashing the community and “corrupting the press.”
While a lot of people responded that Hax$ should “get help” for his continued conspiracy theories about the Smash community, some Smash players did note that Beyond the Summit should also ban Leffen if they truly did not condone “harassment or threats,” since Leffen has continuously bullied people on social media.
Reminder that the other side willfully and maliciously corrupted the press with the intention of brainwashing the community about https://t.co/UsY0fjC6EO.
— Hax$ (@ssbmhax) June 10, 2021
Other Smash fans expressed that Hax$ should only be banned temporarily until he “gets help.” Of course, nobody online can diagnose Hax$ and it’s not clear what truly caused the Smash veteran to release the extensive video attacking Leffen. Either way, Hax$’s fans are disappointed with this turn of events and are hoping Hax$ is okay.
Who is Hax$?
Formerly known as HAX FUCKING MONEY, Hax$ is a long-time Melee player from New York. He used to be a Captain Falcon main and would only use the pink costume, dubbed Captain Fabulous, but he switched to Fox in 2014. From there, he became known as one of the most technical Fox players in the active Melee pro scene.
Hax$ is known for working on the B0XX, a controller made specifically for Smash. It was created during his hiatus from the game but he brought it to many events when he was competing, attempting to make it a fair alternative to the GameCube controller.
In 2019, Hax$ was ranked number one in the New York City Power Rankings list and 19th in the MPGR list.
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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