“Get a job already”: FGC asks Mew2King to get a job, but he’s not the only esports sufferer

I Super Smash Bros. The esports scene is notorious. Tournaments are often crowdfunded, and prize pools only amount to a few thousand. This did not stop the players from grinding Melee hours every single day, which is what makes the scene special… And maybe stupid.

One of the worst examples of Smash’s lack of event method? Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman. Whether he’s competing, coaching, or broadcasting, Mew2King can’t seem to make a living in Smash, despite devoting his entire life to the scene.

The Smash community has been worried about Mew2King for a long time now. He went through a lot of emotional trauma, abuse, and hardship. Through it all, he has continued to focus on Smash, a place where he has spent more of his life analyzing mechanics than anyone else.

While competing, Mew2King was taken down by Echo Fox. He no longer had a sponsor who flew him to events or paid him a solid salary. Instead, Mew2King relied on broadcasting and training, which never really went well for him.

In January 2026, it was revealed that he was only earning $2 an hour while streaming on Twitch. Even Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma urged him to get a part-time job at the time. Work in the real world.

Mew2King wasn’t interested: “I’m going to do what I love, which is the game. I’m going to do that forever.”

However, things have taken a turn for the worse by May 2026.

StreamElements announced it would be shutting down this month, leaving Mew2King to ask his fans for help. Two to three years ago, StreamElements was 40% of his income, according to a Google Doc expert released in connection with the emergency.

Despite the closure, Mew2King said he will continue to broadcast full-time and train. However, he also told his fans that he is offering free training if they will sponsor him in Marvel Strike Force, a mobile game. He also urged fans to subscribe to Twitch or do Twitch Raids.

Meanwhile, he has reduced ads on Twitch. The Smash star came under fire earlier this year when he was accused of playing a lot of ads on his stream, making it unbearable. Of course, this was to make more money. However, the backsliding caused him to lose viewers.

“I have limited options now, unfortunately, to make a living,” he said.

Interest brought out the trolls.

One response said: “Get an af***ing job already. You can’t afford to lose three straight decades. The Melee train is over, you squeezed everything you can into it, and look how long it took. Now it’s time to go back to the real world and live in reality, working 8 hours a day every day.”

Positive feedback added: “You really should get a part-time job. You can pursue your love of acting while making money on the side.”

It should be noted that Mew2King is not independent yet. He has Asperger’s Syndrome and has discussed having a caregiver in the past. I’m not sure what his situation is right now, but I think he’ll have a hard time finding a good paying job, although part-time is possible depending on what it is.

In any case, I think the real topic here is not the specific state of Mew2King, but the state of Smash, and sports games in general.

It feels like esports is dying.

Many scenes are not doing well financially. While some appear to be successful from the outside, with huge player salaries and huge prize pools, the real organizations suffer as a result. And it is very common for the scenes to have no money at all, depending on sponsors and Saudi Arabia to survive. Even Street Fighter 6’s massive Capcom Cup only has a $1 million prize pool because the remainder has no money on the line.

The last time I brought up Mew2King’s predicament, I mentioned that Hungrybox had a full-time engineering job even at the height of his professional career. He went to tournaments and won, but he also worked a “real” job for a living. Now, Hungrybox is part owner of Team Liquid and has other sources of income. But the competition itself did not help him financially.

It’s sad. High school sports clubs are still selling the dream that esports is a career path. Colleges have esports programs now. But there is no money or stability once you are in the real world. Very few esports professionals make bank. Most college students in esports programs are unlikely to become coaches for major leagues or top players in a Tier 1 league.

Not all esports pay well, but those that do require you to be in the top 0.1% to get anywhere near a six figure salary.

But it’s not just that many people suck too much to be in that 0.1%. It’s because there aren’t that many opportunities. In fact, the odds keep shrinking. Organizations are dropping topics left and right. Some organizations pack completely. Players and talent are often owed money for months, even years. BLEED Esports currently owes over $300,000 in unpaid wages.

Seeing someone dedicate their entire life to a competitive environment, including competing at a high level and training other top players, and be completely broke as a result is a wake-up call. Some competitors may not be in the same boat yet, but it shines a light on the fact that competing in esports is still a field of passion. You won’t make much, if any, money. He is there for the love of the game.

Unfortunately, many of these top players don’t have time for a full-time job, so they turn to streaming as a side hustle. They grind 10 hours and more a day with their team. However, I think Mew2King can save a few hours. It’s just sad that it has come to this. It’s clear this way for now: You can’t make money playing esports unless you’re in the top 0.1% of the most popular titles.

And anyway, your time is limited. Paying those top players salaries goes into the organization’s expenses, which will eventually shut down due to lack of funds and profits. This leaves players with no org and even fewer options.

On Reddit, one esports fan asked why esports teams have no money. The best answer? “If you spend a lot of money without making money, you will have less money.”