Following the cancelation of Smash World Tour 2022 Finals and 2023 events, Nintendo partner Panda Global published a statement to address the concerns of the Smash community. In the statement, Panda asserts that chief executive officer Alan Bunney has stepped down. Furthermore, the statement states that the Panda Cup Finale, which is scheduled to take place between December 16 and 18, is now postponed due to security concerns for the staff and contractors."Panda is committed to do our part to move the competitive Smash community above and beyond the current situation, starting with an internal restructure and a rededication to our values as members of this community,” the statement reads. "Panda employees are working with outside advisors to form a temporary interim Management Committee to act as CEO to navigate this critical time."
Panda Global was accused of being responsible for the cancelation of Smash World Tour events, which led almost every star player to leave the Panda Cup Finale before it kicked off. The controversy first emerged when the Smash World Tour (SWT) team issued a statement about the Smash Tour last week. The organizer claimed that Nintendo decided to shut down future SWT Championships without any warning due to licensing issues. The SWT team alleged Panda Global was instrumental in Nintendo's decision not to operate any unlicensed Smash tournaments.
Nintendo responded to these allegations with a statement, claiming that the decision to cancel the Smash World Tour events was the sole decision of SWT. According to Nintendo, the company did not ask SWT to cancel their 2022 events "because of the impact it would have on players." Popular streamer and content creator Ludwig then announced that he will host his own Smash tournament on December 18. The event will feature the Smash World Tour's top eight players and will have a $50,000 prize pool.
Controversy continues to rage in the Smash community with Smash World Tour, Nintendo and Panda all getting caught up in the latest dramatics.