Leffen To Share EVO 2018 Melee Prize Money
By Zac Cameron ·
The former villain of the Smash Bros. Melee scene will be reaching out to the lower placed top 8 players to possibly donate a share of his tournament winnings.
EVO 2018 always brings action and stories, whether it’s an underdog overcoming the odds, or a champion defending their title. Even rivalries between longtime foes make for an interesting story, but perhaps the most interesting side note to come out of a major event like this is the tale of redemption.
William "Leffen" Hjelte has long been considered the villain of Smash Bros. Melee, after making his presence felt on the scene back in 2014. Taking down all of the “Melee Gods”, Leffen quickly became known as a very skilled and technical player, and his multitude of tournament placings would back that up. But it’s his recent actions that are turning heads in the FGC.
As I said before the event on my stream, I will personally be giving part of my prize money to the 5/7th place. 7th got around 130 dollars.
— leffen (@TSM_Leffen) August 5, 2018
The fact that I won does not change that the way FGC does prize split is not something i will ever agree with.
After winning the Super Smash Bros. Melee title at EVO 2018, Leffen announced on Twitter that he would be donating a share of his winnings to the lower placed players in the top 8 for EVO 2018. Indicating that he was inspired by NBA superstar Lebron James, Leffen stated that if the players won’t accept the money then it will go to charity, as a sign of Leffen giving back to the community.
If they won't take it ill give it to a charity of their choice.
— leffen (@TSM_Leffen) August 5, 2018
A big part of my prize money with is going to taxes but I want to give a significant part of it to charity or back to the community in some ways.
What can I say, Lebron inspired me.
It seems whatever the fans think of Leffen, he is determined to not only be the best, but act as an example for other players in the community. For more news out of EVO 2018, check out the less than desirable crowd reaction to the Smash 4 finals, here.