Super Smash Bros.’ Greatest Pro Player is Surprisingly Retiring

Super Smash Bros. has been making the rounds on the competitive scene since its victorious return on the Wii U a while back, and one of the players that's made a name for himself from the game is Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios. He's managed to win dozens of tournaments over the past few years, and has even managed to attain a world record for most consecutive tournament wins in a row – 53. That was done back in 2015.

But there comes a time when even the best players in the world feel like doing something new, and Barrios made it clear this weekend on his Twitter account. In a nutshell, he's retiring from competitive Smash play – at least, for the time being.

Here's a quick statement that sums up his feelings. "The truth is that I lost passion in current Smash 4. But I must clarify, this game is responsible for the most success I've had in my life and some of my fondest memories. I love this game, I really do. I love Smash Bros in general as well. However, I just don't have that 'fire' that I used to have for Smash 4. I used to be able to push myself so easily and without effort back in the day" ... "but nowadays, I pretty much have to force myself to do it."

"I anticipate I will want to participate once again in tournaments once the next iteration of Smash Bros. is on the horizon. If that's Smash 5, Smash Switch, or even a big Smash 4 Deluxe update... that's going to be enough to bring me back in the scene."

So it sounds like he's taking a hiatus until Nintendo announces what's coming next for the Smash series. Rumors are circulating that the company will announce some fort of game for the Nintendo Switch this year, be it an advanced port of Super Smash Bros. from the Wii U days, or perhaps even an entirely new game that dials back in to the style of Melee.

Whatever the case, we wish Barrios the best of luck in whatever he does next.