The Big House

Origins and Early Years

The Big House began in 2011 as a regional tournament on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. Organized by Robin 'Juggleguy' Harn, the first event on October 22, 2011, featured 115 entrants for Super Smash Bros. Melee singles and was won by Oscar 'Lovage' Nilsson. It also served as a qualifier for the larger Apex 2012 tournament, establishing its early connection to the national circuit.

The series quickly grew. The Big House 2 was held on October 6–7, 2012, also on the university campus. Joseph 'Mango' Marquez won the Melee event, while Brian 'metroid1117' Lin won the Project M tournament, which was featured alongside Melee. The event moved off-campus to Ann Arbor for The Big House 3 in October 2013, where Jason 'Mew2King' Zimmerman took the Melee title. For The Big House 4 in October 2014, the location shifted to Romulus, Michigan, and Mango secured his second Melee victory at the event.

Expansion into a Premier National Event

The fifth edition in 2015 marked a major change in the tournament's scale and importance. Held from October 2–4 in Dearborn, it attracted 1,317 Melee singles entrants and introduced Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as a main event with 512 entrants. The tournament was preceded by a notable incident where top Swedish player William 'Leffen' Hjelte was denied entry into the United States at customs due to visa issues related to his affiliation with Team SoloMid.

Adam 'Armada' Lindgren won the Melee event over Juan 'Hungrybox' Debiedma. In the Wii U bracket, Gonzalo 'ZeRo' Barrios continued his undefeated streak at national events, adding The Big House title to his wins at Apex 2015 and EVO 2015. This iteration also saw the removal of Project M as an official event, reflecting a focus on the mainline Smash Bros. games. The size of this event firmly established The Big House as a super major.

The Detroit Era and Multi-Game Format

Starting with The Big House 7 in 2017, the tournament moved to the Cobo Center in Detroit, a larger venue to accommodate its growth. It became known as the largest fall Super Smash Bros. event, featuring not only competition but also arcade games and demos. The Big House 6 in 2016 was notable as the first American tournament Leffen attended in over a year, and it saw Mango win his third Melee title while ZeRo won his third consecutive Wii U title.

The events in Detroit confirmed a format with multiple games. The Big House 8 in 2018 featured Melee, won by Hungrybox, Wii U, won by Brian 'Cosmos' Kalu, and the original Super Smash Bros., won by Daniel 'SuPeRbOoMfAn' Hoyt. The Big House 9 in 2019 debuted Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, won by Sota 'Zackray' Okada, while Mango won his fourth Melee title. Side events for Smash 64, Brawl, and Wii U were consistently held, with players like Josh Brody becoming a frequent winner in the 64 bracket.

The 2020 Online Cancellation and Dispute

The Big House cancelled its planned 2020 live tournament in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to maintain community activity, organizers later announced an online tournament for December 2020. This plan was abruptly cancelled after they received a cease and desist letter from Nintendo.

Nintendo's concern centered on the tournament's intended use of Slippi, an emulator that enables netplay and matchmaking for Melee. Because the software requires users to provide a ripped copy of the game, Nintendo cited piracy concerns. This conflict highlighted the difficulties the grassroots Melee community faced in moving competition online while dealing with the intellectual property policies of the game's publisher.

Return, Final Chapter, and Hiatus

The series returned to an offline format for its tenth iteration, The Big House 10, held on October 7–9, 2022, at the Huntington Place in Detroit. This event was part of the Nintendo-sponsored Panda Cup circuit. The Melee tournament produced a historic result as Masaya 'aMSa' Chikamoto defeated Joseph 'Mango' Marquez, marking the first major tournament win for a Yoshi player. The event also served as a Panda Cup qualifier, with Cody 'iBDW' Schwab, Zain Naghmi, and Miles 'Soonsay' Foster qualifying for the Melee finale.

In the Ultimate bracket, Michael 'Riddles' Kim won over Paris 'Light' Ramirez, with Ramirez, Gavin 'Tweek' Dempsey, and Antony 'MuteAce' Hoo qualifying for the Ultimate finale. Josh Brody won the Smash 64 event, and side events for Brawl and Wii U were also held. On July 9, 2024, the organizers announced the series would be placed on an indefinite hiatus, ending a thirteen-year run that had grown from a campus event into a defining tournament for the Smash Bros. community.

Lasting Influence on Competitive Smash

The Big House occupied an important place in the competitive Smash calendar. Its annual fall timing made it a critical event for players aiming to define their standings for the year. The tournament's atmosphere, fueled by a large and passionate Midwest audience, created an environment that was both intensely competitive and celebratory of the community.

Organized by Robin 'Juggleguy' Harn, the series was consistently managed with a focus on player experience and event quality. It provided a platform for notable performances, such as ZeRo's dominance in the Wii U era, the multi-title rivalry between Mango and Hungrybox in Melee, and aMSa's major victory. The indefinite hiatus of The Big House represents the conclusion of a major period in Smash Bros. history, leaving behind a record of high-stakes competition and communal tradition that shaped the scene for over a decade.