Following multiple instances of inappropriate physical actions during an event, Cloud9 has officially dropped Joseph “Mang0” Marquez, ending an 11 year sponsorship.
The announcement came on June 23, following two days of backlash toward Mang0 after he made multiple inappropriate actions toward other creators, including multiple women, during Ludwig Aghren’s Beerio Kart World Cup. This led to Ludwig banning Mang0 from all future Mogul Moves events, and has now resulted in Cloud9 ending one of the longest partnerships in esports history.
According to Cloud9, an internal evaluation was held over the last few days regarding the drunken harassment situation involving Mang0, with the ultimate decision being to release him from the organization.
Official Statement from Cloud9 pic.twitter.com/BF7AvTvqt3
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) June 24, 2025
“Regardless of tenure or accomplishments, the behavior demonstrated is entirely unacceptable and directly conflicts with our organizations core values,” Cloud9’s statement reads. “We maintain a zero-tolerance stance regarding harassment or any other form of inappropriate conduct. Our primary focus remains fostering a respectful, inclusive, and safe environment for everyone associated with Cloud9.”
Cloud9’s message ends with the team wishing Mang0 the best in what he does next, but also closes the chapter on an 11 year partnership that began in May 2014.
Prior to this decision, Mang0 had already made several public posts acknowledging his actions and eventually promising to work on himself, starting with moving to “stop drinking immediately.” Despite those promises, he noted he is not downplaying what happened and will accept any consequences, such as Ludwig’s response and this Cloud9 termination.
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Not long after Cloud9’s public statement, Mang0 posted his own response, acknowledging that the entire situation was brought on by his actions and further apologizing and saying he will likely be offline for a chunk of time following the decisions being made.
C9 dropping me
Probably getting banned from tourneys
Fucking shit man
No one to blame but myself but man
Never though I could hit this low
Probably won’t hear from me for a while
Im sorry everyone
Wish I was better
I had it all and fucking tossed it in the trashcan
— 🦅🦅 GO BIRDS 🦅🦅 (@C9Mang0) June 23, 2025
“C9 dropping me. Probably getting banned from tourneys. Fucking shit man. No one to blame but myself but man, never thought I could hit this low,” Mang0 said. “Probably won’t hear from me for a while. I’m sorry everyone. Wish I was better. I had it all and fucking tossed it in the trashcan.”
Mang0 mentioned the possibility of being banned from other tourneys, meaning some TOs may have already started talking about additional actions against the player due to his behavior.
Mang0 signed with Cloud9 well after he had already become one of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world, joining with the team in May 2014 when other top talent in the scene was starting to be snapped up.
During his 11 years with Cloud9, Mang0 remained a perennial top 10 player and sizable streamer on Twitch. His name is typically brought up in the conversation for greatest Melee player of all-time due to his continued high-level play, dozens of top placements, and his status as a community favorite to watch compete.
Just a few of his biggest wins while playing under C9 include a win at Evo 2014, a handful of Smash Summit trophies, three Big House titles, and, most recently, taking Supernova 2024.
Very few players in any esports have had partnerships with a team that last longer than a decade, especially in spaces like Smash or the FGC. Melee has several big names that have reached the 10-year mark, such as Adam “Armada” Lindgren with Alliance, but even that ended in 2024.
Currently the only player in Smash that has been tenured with a single org longer than Mang0’s now terminated 11-year run with Cloud9 is Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma with Team Liquid, if you squint.
Actually, both Hbox and Kashan “Chillindude” Khan signed with Team Curse in April 2014, roughly a month before Mang0 signed with Cloud9. Curse and Liquid would end up merging in January 2015 and, even though Chillin doesn’t actively play anymore, the pair are still on Liquid’s roster, with Hbox even being named a co-owner in December 2021.
As for what is next for The Kid, it looks like there is a hiatus on the horizon, whether it be purely his own decision or at the behest of his friends and the larger community.
In his statement following his release, Mang0 mentioned that the internet is likely not to hear from him much, though he never specified a duration. At the very least this should signify silence on social media and no streams or videos until he works on himself and the fallout from this situation.
He also mentioned the potential for other tournaments to “probably” ban him moving forward, though that hasn’t happened yet.
No tournament organizer other than Ludwig has made a statement on Mang0, which means he has not been banned from upcoming events like Get On My Level: Forever, Collision 2025, or Riptide 2025 in the coming months. This could change at any point, and he might even self-impose a “ban” on himself to focus on himself and his family.