Games Done Quick cuts a broadcast after the controversy over SNK and Saudi Arabia sponsorship

Summer Games Done Quick ended with more than two million dollars raised, all of it going to Médecins Sans Frontières, but the end of the week got complicated. Vida Extra reports that after the last race, an additional stream aired with games like Dark Souls and Cuphead, and that it was later decided to play several titles from the Metal Slug series.

The problem is that this schedule was sponsored by SNK, a studio 96% owned by a Saudi Arabian investment fund. The community found that combination unacceptable given GDQ's values, which support LGBTQ+ rights and human rights, and the criticism came quickly.

The organization responded by canceling the remaining games and cutting the broadcast off abruptly. In a statement on X, it acknowledged that it did not carry out the review its community expected and took full responsibility. It said it will not accept funds from that sponsorship or work with the company again, and it apologized to the speedrunners and the host, who had nothing to do with the decision and saw their runs affected. It also announced it will strengthen its sponsor evaluation process, with a more detailed analysis of company ownership.

The article calls the case a serious failure to vet sponsors properly and notes that the damage to its image is already done. I find it interesting how a speedrunning community, known mostly for its records, ends up demanding transparency from the organization that represents it.

Source: Vida Extra