Smash World Tour Cancelled

On November 29, 2022, The Smash World Tour, a 2022 competitive Smash Bros Ultimate circuit was abruptly canceled after VGBootcamp, or VGBC, the organizers behind the circuit, were issued a cease and desist by Nintendo. The statement prevents VGBC from hosting the event, and any other tournaments that are unlicensed by Nintendo. This comes just two weeks before the Smash World Tour Final was supposed to take place. 

Many believe that this cancellation is a result of the Panda Cup, the circuit that Panda-Global, one of the premier esports organizations within the Smash Bros community was also running in conjunction with Nintendo. In their statement announcing the closure of Smash World Tour, VGBC accused the Panda Global team of trying to use their partnership with Nintendo to strong-arm other independently run tournaments into joining their circuit, which would effectively sabotage a majority of the tournaments that are run throughout the year in a mainly grassroots community.

Dr. Alan Bunney, the CEO of Panda Global, resigned from his position on December 4, 2022 after receiving backlash from the larger community on social media, and after many top Smash players, including Mkleo, Sparg0, and Light, three of the consensus top-five players in the world, announced that they would boycott the circuit after the news was released. Various Panda-Global sponsored influencers and top players, such as Wadi, Coney, and Little Z have also announced their resignations from the organization, effective at the end of the year. 

As of December 7, 2022, The Smash World Tour Final is still canceled, and the Panda-Global circuit has been officially postponed until a later date.

By Kailen Hicks