The collapse of Panda’s efforts in Smash Bros dominated the news at the end last year. We’re still seeing the ramifications of that scandal play out, with old tournament organizers getting back up and running, while the community remains dented by Panda’s attempts at a take-over.

We still don’t know if the Panda Cup Finale will ever actually conclude. With players leaving, is Panda Global leaving Smash all together in 2023?

The reaction from a lot of players might pretty much react with “good riddance” if they do decide to pull out entirely. The team has been haemorrhaging players since the end of 2022, but they’ve just lost another one. Notably, this roster change wasn’t due to a player not wanting to associate with them anymore. Instead, it’s Panda dropping Smash players. It’s looking a lot more likely that Panda Global isn’t just stepping away from organizing Smash events, they might be pulling out of the game entirely.

If so, can Panda even survive in the wider fighting game community with their current reputation?

ESAM leaves Panda Global

ESAM is a Smash Bros player who has been active for over 15 years. He’s played in pretty much every Smash game but was particularly notable for his top-level performances in Brawl, Wii U, and Ultimate. While he isn’t one of the best Melee players, he’s excelled elsewhere especially in Smash for Wii U. The player has had no shortage of winnings, but he’ll be parting…