A match-fixing scandal has reportedly rocked the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competitive scene in North America. Zack Lauth, a player who goes by the name "CaptainZack" in the professional fighting scene, revealed on Twitter he has been barred from entering the upcoming Super Smash Con tournament, which begins in Virginia in a few days time.

This ban was placed on Lauth after he released a statement via Twitlonger, where he said he had grown frustrated with his poor performance at competitive events and decided to blackmail a now-former pro player by the name of Elliott "Ally" Carroza-Oyarce. He instructed the player to lose against various high-profile opponents in a number of big competitions. Carroza-Oyarce also happened to be in a relationship with Lauth (who was underage at the time) and retired from the Smash scene after he received a lifetime ban.

In his statement on Twitlonger, Lauth said:

I vow to never try to manipulate a match result again

A Smash Con representative further explained the situation to Polygon:

Based on information provided by Zack on Twitter, the tournament staff at Super Smash Con felt it was inappropriate to allow Zack to compete in our event. Attempting to fix the outcome of a match is strictly forbidden in our rulebook and those were grounds used to make this decision.

Since publishing these tweets, Lauth has been dropped by his sponsor Polar Ace Esports for "blackmail, match fixing, and irresponsible behavior" and has come under fire from the wider Smash Bros. community for compromising the integrity of large-scale competitions.