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Nintendo has reportedly banned a Japanese speedrunning event from using their games for their next upcoming event.
Or did they?
What Speedrunning Event?
RTA in Japan is a speedrunning event in Japan similar to GDQ (Games Done Quick). RTA is an acronym for Real Time Attack. Real time attacks are speedruns that don’t use tools, such as emulation software, when playing games to set records. This term differentiates it completely from tool-assisted speedruns (TAS). In that sense, RTA in Japan holds themselves to a special standard.
RTA in Japan’s YouTube channel shows that they have been holding events since at least 2017. There could have been earlier events or antecedents that were not recorded or uploaded online. This event may not have been known outside Japan this whole time, but it has earned its renown.
What Was The “News” About Nintendo?
Gamesindustry.biz reported on RTA in Japan deciding not to add any Nintendo games this year with this statement:
Speedrunning charity event RTA in Japan has confirmed Nintendo issued a direct notice banning it from using titles owned by the publisher.
However, Nintendo Patents Watch disputes their description of the situation as inaccurate. In their words:
Nintendo did not “ban” RTA from using its titles. RTA decided not to, because they’re unsure if they can complete the required paperwork in time for this event. RTA further stated that for future events, Nintendo games will be permitted upon requesting and receiving consent ahead of time.
https://GI.biz, for whatever reason, chose to frame a garden-variety licensing procedure in an ominous light. “Issued a direct notice”? Contrasting the word “charity” with “owned”? I see what you did there.
We won’t speculate on any bad faith intended by this report. But we wanted to figure out what really happened. So we checked their source for this claim, Automaton Media.
What’s The Real News?
To paraphrase Automaton’s report, Nintendo contacted RTA in Japan for the first time in the event’s history. Nintendo explained that because RTA in Japan became a legal entity in 2020, everything about the speedrunning event changed.
Nintendo was aware of the nearly eight years RTA in Japan held events but they were not a legal entity at the time. Because of RTA in Japan’s status change, all those events constituted unauthorized use of their games. Subsequently, as a legal entity, they have to ask permission in advance moving forward.
We don’t know why RTA in Japan decided to become a legal entity. Clearly, they didn’t fully understand the ramifications of their actions at the time. It’s possible that RTA in Japan should be asking permission from other game companies to use all their games, too.
So RTA in Japan won’t have any Nintendo games for their event this year as they figure out how to follow these rules. If there’s anything positive to come out of this event, it could be that RTA in Japan gets more attention from the rest of the world. It would be interesting to see how Japan’s speedrun events differ and play out compared to Western events like Games Done Quick.
If you’re a native Japanese speaker, you can read RTA in Japan’s official statement here.
