The Super Smash Bros. tournament organization Apex was rocked this morning when event co-founder Johnathan "Alex Strife" Lugo suddenly stepped down from his role. The reason for his resignation? Mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that exploded in a few short days. These stories speak of years of harassment towards everyone from underage girls to transgender folk, and it's reached the point that Lugo simply cannot stay in his position.
Thankfully, Apex 2015 is still on track for January 30 through February 1. The group's official statement reads:
At this time, Alex Strife will be stepping down from his duties at Apex. We will be moving forward with Apex 2015.
As it stands Apex 2015 is the largest Smash Brothers tournament ever and the Apex staff hopes to bring you the best experience we can.
Earlier this month, Apex announced that Nintendo would hop on board as a partner for this year's event. Though Apex has been around since 2008, Nintendo's heavy involvement this time would expand the group's reach immensely. The situation with Lugo could have threatened the arrangement, but the other Apex leaders seemed to handle it swiftly and expediently. All that could change, however, should Nintendo or any of the other partners, including Gunnar and ScrewAttack, decide that the heat surrounding Apex is too intense.
