Nintendo Live 2024 canceled due to threats made against employees & attendees
NintendoNintendo has canceled Nintendo Live 2024 in Tokyo due to persistent threats against both staff members and attendees at the event.
The Nintendo Live events are massive in-person shows, allowing fans to try out the latest games released on Nintendo’s current platform. While they don’t usually feature new reveals, players can at least try out upcoming titles.
The Nintendo Live shows are also the stage where many of Nintendo’s sponsored tournaments take place, including games like Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. All these events are broadcast worldwide, allowing fans to watch the best players in the world compete.
Nintendo has been extremely strict about competitions for its games, most notably Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but the Nintendo Live shows were usually exempt from this.
NintendoNintendo Live 2024 Tokyo had to be canceled due to threats of violence
However, the next Nintendo Live 2024 event, meant to be held in Tokyo in January, has officially been canceled.
The Genki_JPN Twitter/X account has posted a translated footnotes version of Nintendo’s official statement on the matter, outlining the reasoning for the cancelation and what events were canned.
According to Nintendo, the event was canceled due to threats against company employees and attendees. As such, Nintendo couldn’t hold the event while ensuring the safety of all in attendance, so it had to be shut down.
In addition, the planned Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tournaments intended to be held during Nintendo Live 2024 have also been postponed. There is currently no word when these events will take place or if they’ll happen together when they’re eventually held.
It’s unclear what the nature of these threats against Nintendo Live 2024 was, but it has to be serious if Nintendo is canceling a huge event only a month before it was due.
The Nintendo Live events happen internationally, so there will likely be more in North America and Europe in the future. Hopefully, whatever security concerns Nintendo worries about will be resolved, and the event can return to Japan in the future.