Nintendo says high health and safety standards were behind decision to cancel major Super Smash Bros tournament

Nintendo has issued a statement addressing the canceled Smash World Tour championship. 

Earlier this week it was announced that the unofficial Smash World Tour 2022 championship, as well as "the entirety" of the 2023 events planned by the group have been canceled due to a notice from Nintendo. According to a statement from the organizers, the news apparently came as a shock: "Without any warning, we received notice the night before Thanksgiving from Nintendo that we could no longer operate."

"This was especially shocking given our discourse with Nintendo the past twelve months," the statement continues. "We are truly devastated that this is all being taken away." The Smash World Tour is an international tournament circuit where players of both Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Super Smash Bros Melee can compete to qualify for the Smash World Tour Championships and, this year, win a prize pool of $250,000. 

Following this announcement, Nintendo issued its own statement explaining its decision to IGN. The statement reads: "Nintendo’s decision was solely based on our assessment of the proposals submitted by the SWT [Smash World Tour] and our evaluation of their unlicensed activities." It continues: "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," Nintendo says, "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." 

The statement then reveals that Nintendo verbally told the organizers of SWT that it was "not requiring they cancel the 2022 finals event because of the impact it would have on players." Therefore, Nintendo claims, "the decision to cancel the SWT 2022 was, and still is, [SWT's] own choice." 

Nintendo's statement then ends: "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."

If you're looking for an alternative to Smash Bros, take a look at our best fighting games list.