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Matt Fairchild's adult life has revolved around Super Smash Bros. Now, he's trying to make a game which rivals it - or that could even knock it from its perch. It feels an impossible task. Smash is the undisputed king of platform fighters - games where you battle to boot opponents off-stage - and after 16 years, Super Smash Bros. Melee is still the community's favourite: played by a dedicated hardcore, broadcast to a huge worldwide audience at tournaments such as EVO. And yet... it is 16 years old. You still need a GameCube to play it on. That's a pretty tough barrier to entry.
Melee launched just before Matt went to college. He spent a lot of the next four years playing it, then found a job after organising some of the first professional Smash tournaments. Over time, he became part of the game's community: meeting pro players and befriending an early employee of Major League Gaming - Jason Rice - who is now his business partner. A string of community manager jobs later, he felt it was time to found a studio himself. This September, Matt and Jason's Wavedash Games will turn two.
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