Super Smash Bros. legend ZeRo has been away from competitive Smash for a long time to focus on his streaming and YouTube career, but he has finally made his return in a big (and different) way with Team ZeRo!
Announced on March 8th, 2020, Team ZeRo is looking to be a ZeRo-centric focus on competitive Super Smash Bros. The team’s first major move was signing free agent WaDi, who had recently been a free agent who’s name was tossed around when the Smash World Tour was announced.
Player signings appear to be just one of the ways Team ZeRo will contribute to the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene, as other tweets allude to other projects in the work, and the endeavor appears to be funded through ZeRo’s YouTube and Facebook earnings. The quick announcement and some of the open-ended questions have left people wondering: what is Team ZeRo exactly?
What Is Team ZeRo?
Team ZeRo is not an esports team in the traditional sense; there is no long term investments for players or to build up the Team ZeRo brand specifically. It’s also worth noting that ZeRo himself will not be competing in Smash tournaments. Rather, it is an effort by ZeRo to invest in and promote the competitive Super Smash Bros. scenes through his own brand as a content creator. To quote Team Zero, player signings are just “one of our many goals is that we’re looking for ways to invest and drive back value into the Smash community.”
Players who “sign” with Team ZeRo do so as a way to travel and compete in hopes of finding another organisation that will invest in them for a longer stretch. Basically, ZeRo is providing more players a chance to showcase themselves around the country than they would otherwise.
So, if ZeRo is just pouring his own money into sponsoring players, what does he get out of it? Well, it further promotes his own brand while connecting himself more into the competitive Smash scene that he isn’t as involved in; ZeRo has only entered a handful of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments and isn’t as active as he once was.
However, by using his brand and giving back to the community, he could help further build Smash as an esport, and being one of those major pillars of the community would be huge for him in the long run. On top of that, Team ZeRo has announced that merchandise specific to the team will be available down the road, which could help offset the costs of sponsoring players and any other future projects.
WaDi is a great first pickup, being one of the best Super Smash Bros. for Wii U players ever and still making his mark in Ultimate despite not being as active earlier on. With the opportunities afford to him by Team ZeRo, it wouldn’t be a surprise for WaDi to get signed to a major esports organisation down the road.
To stay up to date on Team ZeRo, be sure to follow their Twitter account and keep on eye out on the Super Smash Bros. circuit as more and more players rep the brand!
