Nintendo issues extended statement on Smash World Tour 2022 Finals & 2023 license

The Super Smash Bros. esports scene was hit hard this last week when, seemingly out of nowhere, the Smash World Tour 2022 Finals were canceled and the possibility of 2023 events were in doubt. Nintendo has issued a brief statement before on the matter, but it recently released a broader statement about its part in the Finals cancellation and why it wouldn’t be offering SWT a license for 2023 events. Despite pulling the commercial license, Nintendo once again claims it didn’t tell the SWT organizers not to host the finals.

This statement was issued to IGN in the wake of the cancellation of Smash World Tour 2022 Finals and the organizers’ statement on both that cancellation and the licensing for 2023 events. Previously, Nintendo stated that while it could not come to an agreement with SWT on a 2023 circuit, it also didn’t demand that SWT cancel the Finals “considering the negative impact on the players who were already planning to participate.” Instead, Nintendo insists that its decision not to offer a license to SWT for 2023 was based on its own assessment and evaluation of SWT activity. It also claims the decision was entirely unaffected by Panda Global.

In its statement to IGN, Nintendo insists it never demanded that Smash World Tour organizers cancel the 2022 Finals, nor did Panda Global play a role in the decision to revoke a commercial license for 2023 events.
Source: IGN

The full statement by Nintendo can be read below:

Nintendo would like to explain to all Super Smash Bros. fans and interested parties the background and rationale related to our decision to not grant a license to the Smash World Tour (SWT) for their upcoming activities.

Nintendo’s decision was solely based on our assessment of the proposals submitted by the SWT and our evaluation of their unlicensed activities. This decision was not influenced by any external parties such as Panda Global. Any partner that we grant a license to has to meet the high standards we require when it comes to the health and safety of our fans. It’s also important that a partner adheres to brand and IP guidelines and conducts itself according to professional and organizational best practices. We use this same approach to independently assess all partners. If we discover that a partner is doing something inappropriate, we will work to correct it.

When we notified the SWT that we would not license their 2022 or 2023 activities, we also let them know verbally that we were not requiring they cancel the 2022 Finals event because of the impact it would have on players. Thus, the decision to cancel the SWT 2022 was, and still is, their own choice.

We are open to partnering with other organizations and will continue to offer licenses for major tournaments outside of the Panda Cup. Panda Global will continue to be a key partner and we look forward to receiving proposals from other groups for tournament licenses. In the meantime, Panda continues to advocate on behalf of the Super Smash Bros. community, even to the point that Panda has advocated for other organizations and tournaments to work with Nintendo, such as The Big House and the organizers of the SWT to benefit the larger Super Smash Bros. community.

Nintendo cares about Super Smash Bros. fans and its community very much, and we hope to continue to hear their passionate feedback. We are committed to working hard to bring joy and fun to the community through tournaments while also ensuring we and our partners are operating in a manner that is positive and responsible.

Given that multiple sources have corroborated the Smash World Tour organizers’ statement about Panda Global seeking to sabotage competitors in the Smash Bros. scene, it seems there are still some sore spots and loose ends here. However, it’s also interesting that Nintendo both continues to insist it never demanded the SWT 2022 Finals be canceled and that it’s still open to partnerships and circuits beyond Panda Cup. Stay tuned as we continue to watch for further details and updates in this story.