Summer Games Done Quick Halts SNK Sponsored Stream Over Human Rights Issues

Summer Games Done Quick has abruptly canceled its sponsored stream with SNK, citing ethical concerns tied to the developer's majority ownership by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The decision came just two hours into the organization's speedrun of Metal Slug, which was part of a partnered celebration for the classic run-and-gun shooter's 30th anniversary.

The broadcast was interrupted by host Ateatree, a Twitch streamer, who announced that GDQ had instructed him to pause the event. "Due to ongoing concerns and statements from people watching, we do plan to rain check the rest of the runs for tonight. We all thank you very much for watching. Please be good to yourselves and each other," he said before the stream switched to an interim schedule screen.

Games Done Quick later released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on July 12, explaining that the cancellation was driven by community concerns over "human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government." GDQ stated it will not accept any funds from the sponsorship and will not work with SNK again, as the partnership "conflicted" with its values of "supporting human rights and inclusivity."

The charity speedrunning group apologized to the community, admitting it "failed to conduct the level of review our community should expect from us and that was an oversight we deeply regret and take full responsibility for." GDQ also apologized specifically to the runners and host, noting they had no involvement in the decision and that their runs were disrupted as a result.

Moving forward, GDQ promised to strengthen its review process for sponsors and partnerships, including "closer examination of companies' ownership, to make sure they're aligned with our values."

SNK, a Japanese game developer and publisher, came under majority ownership of the MiSK Foundation in November 2020. MiSK is a nonprofit organization owned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. By August 2021, MiSK CEO Badr bin Hamoud AlBadr was appointed as an SNK director, and the foundation has since acquired approximately 96% of the company.

SNK addressed concerns about Saudi involvement in 2022, with producer and designer Yasuyuki Oda telling VideoGamesChronicle, "We're not a political company or anything like that, so it doesn't affect us in any way. It has no – no – effect on our creative output. We have full freedom on what we want to create."

Summer Games Done Quick, the annual charity speedrunning festival, concluded on July 12, raising a total of $2,408,701 for Doctors Without Borders, marking a strong end to its 16th iteration.