Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Melee players had both been preparing to take part in the Smash World Tour Championship, however, it seems that neither set of pros will now get to flex their muscle in public.
The upcoming Smash World Tour event has been cancelled and plans for future events have been shut down.
Smash World Tour organisers released an official statement to relay the news, stating that “It is with an unbelievably heavy heart that we must announce that both the upcoming Smash World Tour Championships, as well as the 2023 Smash World Tour must be cancelled”.
Organisers are understandably disappointed that the event won’t go ahead stating that “we are truly devastated.” In the statement, details were given that Nintendo had “without any warning” notified the team that they could no longer operate.
A major loss
The news will have an impact on not only the organisers but also competitors and fans who will miss out on what was planned to be the biggest event yet. The cancelled championship would have seen the largest prize pool in Smash history being awarded with the huge sum of $250,00 being up for grabs, with plans to increase this amount to $350,000 for the 2023 tour.
The official statement notes that “We believe this decision by Nintendo sets all of that back significantly, which is incredibly disappointing.” However, not all of the blame is being placed on Nintendo, as organisers claim that Panda Global, the company appointed by Nintendo to run the show, had been telling potential partners of the tour that it was going to be shut down in advance of the official word.
“Attempted sabotage”
After approaching Nintendo about the “attempted sabotage” they were offered reassurance on the situation and that plans could go ahead. The statement details that these “attempts from Panda to undermine the Smash World Tour did not stop, as the CEO continued to tell organisers we were definitely not coming back in 2022, and if we did, we’d get shut down shortly after announcement.”
The situation has seen event coordinators and fans alike left with much disappointment. However, the team has asked Nintendo to “reconsider how it is currently proceeding with its relationship with the Smash community, as well as its partners.”
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
