Nintendo scores a masterful own-goal by forcing its games out of a 9-year old charity speedrunning event, tells organisers those 9 years 'constituted unauthorized use' for good measure
Does the idea of Mario eschewing the dev-intended carpets in Mario 64 keep you up at night? Do speedrunners, dedicating themselves to games like pro athletes, make you weep? Don't worry, Nintendo's here to protect you. You're safe now.
Teeing itself up for a fantastic own-goal, Nintendo has contacted the organisers of RTA, one of Japan's largest speedrunning charity events, and wagged their big legal finger (thanks, Automaton). RTA has been raising money since 2014, making this year's event the 9th of its kind. Well, Nintendo has had enough!
In a notice posted to the site, RTA explains (the following has been machine translated): "RTA in Japan has previously used Nintendo games, but on June 13, 2025, Nintendo Co., Ltd. pointed out that 'the use of Nintendo games by a corporation requires prior permission,' and that our previous use 'was without prior permission and constituted unauthorized use.'
RTA in Japan wishes to continue using Nintendo games, and has begun discussions with Nintendo Co., Ltd. regarding permission."
However, because RTA's next event is just around the corner, starting in August, Nintendo has successfully cajoled the organisers into just not using Nintendo games for this one—which is kind of a big deal, given how central games like Super Mario 64 are to the speedrunning community.
There's sort of a reason for all of this, beyond Nintendo continuing to be jerks. Japanese game publishers are often far stricter about what counts as copyright infringement when it comes to streaming their games on their home turf. In 2022, a man was even arrested for it by CODA, Japan's Content Overseas Distribution Agency.
Each publisher sets their own definitions for what is and isn't allowed, with entire websites popping up to collect this information in one place so the internet cops don't come a-knockin'. It's hard to say for certain (you might be shocked to discover I'm not a Japanese legal expert), but it does still feel like Nintendo's making the choice to be like this.
Either way—Mario is safe from being used to raise money for good causes in Japan. Phew, what a close one. At least SGDQ is safe.