Apex 2015, held in Somerset, New Jersey Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, was the biggest Super Smash Bros tournament in the series' 16-year history.
With 1,037 entrants competiting in the one-on-one Super Smash Bros: Melee rounds, 837 for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and another 1,194 entrants across all other events, the tournament ended up with over 2,000 unique players in the mix, and plenty more spectators, according to tournament organizers.
Players flew in from all over the world to compete and play with friends new and old. After a disastrous day-one cancellation caused by damage from the winter storm a few days earlier, the organizers were forced to find a new venue. The tournament got back on track for the second and third day, just as the action was heating up.
With almost all of the world's best Smash players in one room -- and some time to kill after getting eliminated -- we decided to ask some well-known players the origins of their gamer tags, the handles which they play under competitively.