Summer Games Done Quick Cancels Sponsored SNK Stream Due to "Human Rights Concerns"

Summer Games Done Quick canceled its sponsored watercourse with SNK, citing ethical concerns regarding the developer’s bulk ownership by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

The cancellation occurred conscionable 2 hours into the org’s speedrun of Metal Slug successful a partnered solemnisation of the classical run-and-gun enactment shooter’s 30th anniversary.

The broadcast was interrupted with an announcement from the run's host, Twitch streamer Ateatree, who informed the game's speedrunning duo that he’d received a announcement from GDQ regarding the stream.

“Due to ongoing concerns and statements from radical watching, we bash program to rainfall cheque the remainder of the runs for tonight. We each convey you precise overmuch for watching. Please beryllium bully to yourselves and eachother," helium said earlier the watercourse returned to an interim surface of the show's schedule.

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) July 12, 2026

Games Done Quick (GDQ) besides published a connection to its authoritative X relationship connected July 12, explaining that this determination was made successful portion owed to concerns from the speedrunning assemblage regarding “human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government.”

GDQ besides said it volition neither judge funds from the sponsorship nor enactment with said sponsor again, arguing that the concern “conflicted” with its values of “supporting quality rights and inclusivity.”

The speedrunning foundation radical issued an apology to the community, saying it “failed to behaviour the level of reappraisal our assemblage should expect from america and that was an oversight we profoundly regret and instrumentality afloat work for.”

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) July 12, 2026

“We particularly privation to apologize to the runners and our big connected this stream, who had thing to bash with this determination and whose runs were disrupted arsenic a result. This isn't a reflection connected them and we are grateful for their understanding.”

Finally, GDQ promised to bolster its reappraisal process successful regards to sponsors and partnerships, “including person introspection of companies’ ownership, to marque definite they're aligned with our values.”

Japanese crippled developer and steadfast SNK notably came nether bulk ownership by the MiSK Foundation successful November 2020, a nonprofit enactment owned by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.

Metal Slug Tactics Screenshots

In August 2021, MiSK Foundation CEO Badr bin Hamoud AlBadr was appointed arsenic a manager of SNK, and successful the astir six years since then, MiSK has gone connected to get astir 96% of the company.

SNK addressed concerns of Saudi engagement backmost successful 2022, with shaper and decorator Yasuyuki Oda telling VideoGamesChronicle, “We're not a governmental institution oregon thing similar that, truthful it doesn't impact america successful immoderate way.”

"It has nary – nary – effect connected our originative output. We person afloat state connected what we privation to create,” helium added.

Summer Games Done Quick, the org’s yearly foundation speedrunning festival, ended connected July 12, raising a expansive full of $2,408,701 for Doctors Without Borders and bringing its 16th iteration to an extremity with a bang.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With 10 years of acquisition reporting connected games and entertainment, she’s got a storied inheritance successful the warring crippled community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her connected Twitter astatine @TheeMissGlaze.