The totals are in, and wow… what an incredible ride! Hard work, community bonding, community competition, surprises, gamesmanship, and even a last minute dose drama–who could have guessed Evo’s 8th game charity donation drive would have had so many things in common with Evo itself?

As many of you have been tracking the totals carefully up to the last minute, you’ll know that the Super Smash Bros. Melee scene has taken the top spot, with an incredible donation total of $94,683. The first congratulation must go to them, and we’ll be very proud to host the title that has generated such incredible support from its players as our 8th official game.

While of course every competition will have a winner, we should also stop to note that this is an incredible win for all of us. The drive has been a success far, far beyond what we had imagined. We’ve been impressed by fighting game fans as they’ve rallied to support each other during times of need, but honestly weren’t sure what to expect when we came up with this idea to decide our final title. You have collectively gone far beyond what I had ever imagined, and we will be proudly sending an amazing total of $225,744 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from all of us.

Together, we’ve supported a great cause, shown the world the positive power of fighting fans, and helped to form closer collaboration and solidarity within our individual game communities working together for a common cause. Shoutouts not just to the incredible efforts of the Smash, Skullgirls, and Super Turbo communities, but to every single one of you for repping your favorite game and supporting the fight against cancer. It’s days like this that make me very proud of our collective community–you are an inspiration. Thank you, and I’ll see you at Evo!