Here's Why Abdulaziz "Hax$" Al-Yami Was Banned From Top Tournaments as a Gamer

Before Abdulaziz 'Hax$' Al-Yami passed away on March 25, 2025, he was known as a top gamer when it came to Super Smash Bros. However, somewhere along the way, his career was marred by controversy. And for those who are a bit out of the loop, they can't help but wonder why Hax$ was banned from tournaments.

At one point, he suffered a hand injury that forced him to use a different kind of controller for gaming and tournaments. But the reason he was eventually banned had nothing to do with his injury. Following his unexpected death, as some of his fans mourned the loss of the gamer, others took to social media to ask what happened to Hax$’s gaming career years before his passing.

In 2021, Hax$ was banned from competing in Super Smash Bros. events. After he released a two-hour video in which he shared alleged evidence of fellow player William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte starting a regime against him, others in the community were surprised and confused by Hax$’s actions. Leffen then reportedly claimed that Hax$ had an obsession with him. Following the backlash, Hax$ told his fans that he banned himself from the community.

Hax$ posted a since-deleted apology video where he opened up about making the video about Leffen and getting banned.

"The entire thing happened because I was experiencing elevated stress levels, both due to certain things going on behind the scenes as well as stress that built up over the years, and I handled that stress in the worst way possible," he said in the video. "I needed to go to either a friend, family member, or therapist instead of going to the entire public in the way that I did."

In August 2024, Hax$ shared on X (formerly Twitter) that he tried to jump in front of a train in an attempt to die by suicide. He said in his lengthy post at the time that part of his reason was due to "the pain of being separated from [his] community of the past 20 years." He added that, at the time, he was focused on recovering, both mentally and physically.

Although an official cause of death was not released to the public after the news of his March 2025 death came out, Hax$’s family set up a GoFundMe where they shared a few details on the sudden loss. However, no other details were given, other than that Hax$ passed away in the morning on March 25, 2025.

On the page, one of Hax$’s family members wrote, "Aziz passed away peacefully this morning. I would like to personally thank all of his friends and fans who supported him and gave him so much happiness. Please say a prayer for this young man who was taken away from us too soon. Doctors said he died quietly. Thank you for your compassion."

Three days after the GoFundMe was posted, it had reached more than $46,000.