April 15th kicked off the return of the Genesis tournament series, which had been on hiatus since 2020. An event so large it earns the title of “supermajor” among Smash players, Genesis commands considerable attention from the community, with a hefty prize pool and unmatched clout for the victors. Genesis 8 saw over 4,000 hopefuls competing for the top spots in their events, making it one of the largest Smash tournaments ever.
In the hotly contested main events, Panda talent brought home three Top 8 finishes. Plup and aMSa won Melee Doubles, coming first out of 228 and continuing Plup’s long history of strong finishes in Doubles events. iBDW continued to make a name for himself with a third place finish in Melee Singles, an event with a whopping 1,552 entrants. As for Smash Ultimate, Marss, who won the last Genesis event in 2020, climbed to Top 8 with wins over Moist’s Kola and Aaron and fellow teammate ESAM. Finally, props to BOAT, one of Panda’s merch designers, who made it to the Loser’s Quarter Final in her Round 2 pool, an impressive run deep into a stacked tournament of 1,959 entrants.
Panda merch in general was a big winner at this event, with plenty of fans and tournament attendees dropping by to check out the newly launched Get Good line. By the end of the weekend, fans all over the event were sporting Panda gear, with the Clean hoodie, the Pro track jacket, and the Hold Forward shirts getting a lot of attention.
Special guests TK, Maister, VikkiKitty and Fatality joined the Panda crew to put together some great content for Panda Media Day. Out in the wild with attendees, Coney and Jaaahsh put some lucky Smash fans on the spot with pop quizzes and quick-thinking challenges. Both the Panda Media Day and the fan engagement content will be published to the Panda YouTube channel over the next few weeks.
As usual, the event was a great opportunity for Panda to take some names in the ring and to connect with our amazing fanbase. We couldn’t do what we do without their support. Thanks to the Genesis crew and tournament organizers for hosting an incredible event. We’re already looking forward to next year!