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A giant Super Smash Bros figure is seen at the Nintendo E3 2014 booth
Nintendo has condemned the alleged abuse by competitive players known as “absolutely inadmissible”.
In the span of a week, dozens of allegations of inappropriate behavior have been made against competitors in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros fighting game series.
Several of the allegations involve young teens and older players.
It comes as part of a larger “MeToo” style movement in fighting game and wider game communities.
The accusations surrounding the competitive community of Super Smash Bros are varied, from inappropriate sexual messages to sexual relations with minors on the sidelines of tournament events, and even accusations of rape.
In a statement provided to the media, Nintendo said: “We are deeply disturbed by the charges brought against certain members of the competitive gaming community. They are absolutely inadmissible.”
“We want to make it clear that we condemn all acts of violence, harassment and exploitation against anyone and that we support the victims.”
Nintendo is not normally the organizer of such tournaments; instead, they are often organized by the community itself.
A large number of competitors sometimes shared houses, including minor players who shared accommodation with older ones.
Many of the accused players have issued statements that either give their own side of the story or refute the allegations made against them.
However, various sponsors and brands have cut ties with well-known figures.
Knocked out evo
Separately, the biggest fighting game tournament of the summer, EVO Online, didn’t go as planned over the weekend of July 4, amid broader concerns of abuse in the fighting game community.
Evo President Joey Cueller was charged with inappropriate behavior involving minor competitors.
As a result, three major fighting game creators – Bandai Namco, Capcom, and Netherrealm – announced that they would be withdrawing from the event, days before its start was scheduled.
Cueller “will no longer be involved with Evo in any capacity,” the organization said in a statement.
“Progress does not happen overnight, or without the courage of those who speak out against misconduct and injustice. We are shocked and saddened by these events,” he said.
Mr. Cueller, in a now deleted tweet, wrote: “I never wanted to hurt anyone. I was young and reckless and I did things that I’m not proud of. I’ve been growing and maturing for the last 20 years, but that doesn’t excuse me nothing “.
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The Evo Online event, scheduled to start that weekend and run every weekend for several weeks, was canceled.
The current wave of accusations is not limited to just the fighting game community.
Game streaming site Twitch has issued a wave of bans on its content creators after a spike in reports of abusive behavior. And developer Ubisoft, known for the Assassin’s Creed series of games, among others, has launched an internal investigation into the behavior of its staff members.
