On Wednesday, Xanadu Games hosted its first Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament in its new location in Laurel Park, Maryland. In February, Xanadu officially closed the doors of its Baltimore location, a historic Smash venue whose halls had been graced by almost every big name in both Melee and Smash 4.
For years, VGBootCamp pioneered the concept of local streaming, building up a large following of viewers and subscribers across the country. For Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Melee, Project M, and Smash 4, viewers would tune in every week to watch players from the stacked region of MD/VA duke it out for ultimate victory.
As other locals throughout the world have stepped up their streaming game, Xanadu has lost some of its prominence, but it remains one of the most well-known local events and venues in the competitive Smash scene. The venue in Laurel Park is newer, larger, and more technologically advanced than Xanadu’s Baltimore venue, and despite the change, the series shows no signs of ending.
The first Melee tournament at the new Xanadu was won by Jerry “Jerry” Powell, a Fox player who was all but unknown when Smash @ Xanadu began. Despite his relatively recent rise, Jerry has proven himself to be a dominant force in recent Xanadu events. If Xanadu continues to attract attendees from throughout its region, it’s possible that the tournament series will live to see another up-and-comer rise from obscurity to take the throne.
