Nintendo Says It ‘Cares’ About Smash Bros. Fans As Tournament Dispute Continues - Kotaku

Right off the rip, the event’s organizers, Video Game Boot Camp, slammed both Nintendo and Panda Global for the tournament getting tossed.

Video Game Boot Camp wasn’t licensed through Nintendo like Panda Global’s Panda Cup tournament was.

After Video Game Boot Camp dragged Nintendo and Panda Global for the Smash World Tour no longer happening, Nintendo told Kotaku in an emailed statement that the two parties—Nintendo and Video Game Boot Camp—just couldn’t come to an agreement on licensing.

In a short Google document, Video Game Boot Camp expressed confusion over the company’s backpedaling, saying that despite asking to run as an unlicensed event next year with the hopes of renegotiating a licensing agreement in 2024, the organizers were told “those times were now over.” Video Game Boot Camp was also told that because the Smash World Tour neither “met expectations around health & safety guidelines” nor “adhered to internal partner guidelines,” Nintendo wouldn’t “grant a license for the Smash World Tour Championship 2022 or any Smash World Tour activity in 2023.” Never mind that, according to Video Game Boot Camp, the organizers submitted a license application in April to no avail.

Despite what Video Game Boot Camp has said about the cancellation, Nintendo expressly stated that the organizers were not required to “cancel the 2022 finals event because of the impact it would have on players.” As such, according to Nintendo anyway, the unceremonious shuttering of this year’s Smash tournament “was, and still is, [Video Game Boot Camp’s] own choice.”.

In a separate Google document, Video Game Boot Camp addressed Nintendo’s latest statement, saying it’s “struggling to understand why Nintendo contacted us at all last week if they truly wanted us to continue operating.” The organizers reiterated what they claim Nintendo said, that this year’s Smash World Tour couldn’t happen and that no other Smash World Tour events would take place in the future, clarifying that it’s confused by the company’s actions.

Video Game Boot Camp also shared disappointment over Nintendo calling Panda Global a key partner considering the “countless corroborating testimonies from other community leaders and organizers” about Panda Global’s behavior.

The organization said it was just “as surprised as the public” to see both the Smash World Tour get canceled and Video Game Boot Camp’s attacks on “the hard work and ethics of those behind the Panda Cup.” It reiterated Nintendo’s comments, saying Video Game Boot Camp was under no obligation to scrap this year’s tourney, as well as clarified that “any implication that the Panda Cup team had any influence in [the alleged cancellation of the event] is false.” According to Nintendo and now Panda Global, the decision to end the Smash World Tour was Video Game Boot Camp’s and theirs alone.

Video Game Boot Camp pointed fingers at Nintendo and Panda Global, while Nintendo pointed fingers back at Video Game Boot Camp and the Smash World Tour.