Nintendo forces popular Japanese charity speedrunning event RTA to pull runs featuring its games

Japan’s biggest charity speedrunning event, RTA, has confirmed that this year’s event will not feature any Nintendo games after the company contacted its organizers over its past "unauthorized use."

The details:

• In a statement posted to its website (via Automaton), RTA’s organizers shared that they had been contacted by Nintendo on June 13, which explained that as RTA is a “legal entity,” it would be required to seek permission to feature Nintendo games at the event. It explained that due to the close proximity to this year’s event, which runs from August 9 to August 15, it was unable to seek permission for individual games, resulting in it pulling all Nintendo runs.
• RTA also shared that Nintendo had informed the team that previous events constituted "unauthorized use" of its games and IPs. However, the company is now in discussions with the organizers to reach an agreement for future events.
• RTA is inspired by Games Done Quick, the largest speedrun marathon event that features games of all types, with both events sharing the goal of raising funds for Doctors Without Borders. Despite the good intentions of the event, Nintendo has a history of being protective about which events its games are included in, with the company having tight restrictions regarding Smash Bros., even refusing to provide a license to a major tournament back in 2022.

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