Why Nintendo Cancels Smash World Tour: Here is The Story

The e-sports event Smash World Tour will no longer take place this year and next. After Nintendo refused the organizers the license, the publisher has now commented on the subject. The organizers are said to have disregarded internal guidelines.

The Smash World Tour 2022 saw Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Melee players compete in several major tournaments around the world and collect points from March to November to qualify for the finals. However, just a few days before the scheduled date of the finals, the event was canceled. The organizers have given pressure from Nintendo and the influence of other partners of the Japanese console manufacturer as the reason for the decision.

Now Nintendo has explained to IGN why the organizer of the Smash World Tour was denied the license. The organizers of the Smash World Tour allegedly failed to meet conditions related to health and safety guidelines and breached internal affiliate policies. However, Nintendo did not mention in the statement to what extent the agreements were specifically violated. Nintendo emphasizes that the end of the collaboration refers to next year and the final could have taken place.

Panda Cup Competition

In addition to the Smash World Tour, another Nintendo-licensed tournament was held this year. The Panda Cup is organized by the e-sports organization Panda, which is now the official partner of the publisher. 

Since the Panda Cup and the Smash World Tour are in direct competition with each other, it is conceivable that Panda could have used the influence of Nintendo to force the cancellation of the Smash World Tour. However, Nintendo denies this and a statement made by Panda itself makes it clear that the organization is not connected to the refusal of the license.