Numerous sexual misconduct allegations are rocking the game industry, and it seems like more stories are surfacing. One community that’s taking the most hit is the Super Smash Bros. community, wherein a ton of pros are being exposed.
Just last week, Evo announced that their annual gathering for fighting tourneys is canceled due to the allegations of the company’s founder. Amidst all that, the Super Smash Bros. was rocked by numerous controversies of the same manner. Now, the pros are being exposed for taking advantage of their standing in the community.
Biggest community pro exposed
Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios is the most prominent pro in the community, and he was also one of the first pros to be exposed for his sexual misconduct and pedophilia. According to reports, Barrios allegedly sent suggestive text messages to minors, to which he admitted on Twitter.
“I really want to atone, and I just want this discussion to stop,” he said in his Saturday post. “I’m not a good person, and it doesn’t matter how terrible my life was, I did terrible things and that’s the end of it. I don’t deserve for people to defend me.”
Barrios also cut ties with his sponsorships. The gaming organization that he has been working on called Tempo Storm has also cut their ties with the pro.
Our statement and next steps regarding ZeRo: https://t.co/600UNfZIix pic.twitter.com/wmYTY3AyTj
— Tempo (@Tempo_Storm) July 4, 2020
Surprisingly, a lot of ZeRo’s fans are standing behind him despite being proven guilty of his actions. A lot of ZeRo’s fans from the Super Smash Bros. community are defending the pro saying that he already got what he deserved and that the criticisms for him should stop already.
Other prominent members exposed
Aside from ZeRo, other members of the community have also been exposed. They include pro players such as Keitaro, D1, Nairo, and more. Currently, the hottest topic in the community is Cinnpie’s alleged grooming of a then 14-year old Puppeh, another pro.
According to Puppeh, he had a sexual relationship with Cinnpie during 2016, at which she was already over 18. He has reportedly been groomed into having a sexual relationship with Cinnpie and was told to never speak of their relationship. Cinnpie is yet to comment on the matter.
The Super Smash Bros. community is currently in shambles because of the controversies and more people are stepping up. While other players are defending their favourite players, there are still who express support for those who have been mistreated.
Image used courtesy of Nintendo