Nintendo has condemned alleged abuse by well-known competitive gamers as "absolutely impermissible".
In the space 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 teenagers and older
players.
It comes as part of a wider "MeToo" style movement
in the fighting game and wider gaming communities.
The allegations surrounding the Super Smash Bros competitive
community are wide-ranging, from inappropriate sexual messages to sexual
relationships 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 allegations raised against certain members of the
competitive gaming community. They are absolutely impermissible many
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"We want to make it clear that we condemn all acts of
violence, harassment, and exploitation against anyone and that we stand with
the victims."
Nintendo is not normally the organizer of such tournaments -
instead, they are often organized by the community itself.
Large numbers of competitors sometimes shared houses - which
had included under-age players sharing accommodation with older ones.
Many of the accused players have issued statements giving
their own side of the story or refuting allegations made against them.
However, several sponsors and brands have cut ties with
well-known figures.
Evo knocked out
Separately, the largest fighting game tournament of the
summer, EVO Online, did not go ahead as planned over the 4 July weekend, amid
wider concerns of abuse in the fighting game community business listings.
Evo's president, Joey Cueller, was accused of inappropriate
behavior involving underage competitors.
As a result, three major creators of fighting games - Bandai
Namco, Capcom, and Netherrealm - all announced they were pulling out of the
event, days before it was scheduled to begin.
Mr Cueller "will no longer be involved with Evo in any
capacity", the organization said in a statement.
"Progress doesn't happen overnight, or without the
bravery of those who speak up against misconduct and injustice. We are shocked
and saddened by these events," it said free business listings.
Mr Cueller, in a now-deleted tweet, wrote: “I never meant to
hurt anyone. I was young and reckless and did things I'm not proud of. I have
been growing and maturing over the past 20 years, but that doesn't excuse
anything."
·
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The Evo Online event, scheduled to begin that weekend and run
every weekend for several weeks, was canceled.
The current wave of allegations is not just confined to the
fighting game community.
Game streaming site Twitch has issued a wave of bans to its
content creators after a surge 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 conduct of members of its staff.
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