Japan’s largest speedrunning competition is happening without any Nintendo games this summer after the gaming giant stepped in with legal concerns. RTA in Japan Summer 2025, running from August 9 to 15, won’t feature a single Nintendo title. This marks a major change for an event where Nintendo games like Super Mario 64 typically draw the biggest crowds and highest viewership numbers.

Two months ago, when the game list first came out, fans noticed something was wrong. Nintendo games had always been the main attraction at previous events, so their complete absence sparked rumors and worry across social media. On August 4, the event organizers finally explained what happened.

RTA in Japan における任天堂株式会社のゲームの利用に関するお知らせ｜RTA in Japan https://t.co/Zf7qrShyiT

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According to RTA in Japan’s announcement, Nintendo contacted them directly on June 13 with a clear message. The company told organizers that “as a legal entity, they would have to ask for permission in advance” before featuring any Nintendo games in their events. Nintendo also said that all the times their games appeared in past RTA in Japan events counted as “unauthorized use.” This came as a surprise to organizers who had been running Nintendo games at their events for years without any previous issues.

RTA in Japan organizers say they want to keep featuring Nintendo games in future events, so they’ve started talks with the company. From now on, they’ll need to send separate permission requests to Nintendo for each game they want to include. The timing made it impossible to get approvals for this summer’s event, which is why they chose to remove all Nintendo games rather than risk further legal problems.

Even though RTA in Japan is a non-profit organization that donates money from viewers and subscriptions to charity, Nintendo’s concern seems to focus on the fact that RTA in Japan operates as an official legal entity.

The organizers say this will also change how games get nominated for future competitions. They promise to share more details about new rules and requirements soon. For now, fans will have to enjoy this summer’s speedrunning competition without the Nintendo titles that usually steal the show.