Summer Games Done Quick canceled its sponsored stream with SNK, citing ethical concerns regarding the developer’s majority ownership by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
The cancellation occurred just two hours into the org’s speedrun of Metal Slug in a partnered celebration of the classic run-and-gun action shooter’s 30th anniversary.
The broadcast was interrupted with an announcement from the run’s host, Twitch streamer Ateatree, who informed the game’s speedrunning duo that he’d received a notice from GDQ regarding the stream.
“Due to ongoing concerns and statements from people watching, we do plan to rain check the rest of the runs for tonight. We all thank you very much for watching. Please be good to yourselves and each other,” he said before the stream returned to an interim screen of the show’s schedule.
We’re so excited to be working with SNK to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Metal Slug with a speedrunning showcase!!
Tune in now and stay in touch on their socials!
Watch: https://t.co/yplBSxDmEz
FB: https://t.co/f0fdzqNmKT
TikTok: https://t.co/A2TompsFyR @METALSLUG_EN pic.twitter.com/oijwKOiYtY— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) July 12, 2026
Games Done Quick (GDQ) also published a statement to its official X account on July 12, explaining that this decision was made in part due to concerns from the speedrunning community regarding “human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government.”
GDQ also said it will neither accept funds from the sponsorship nor work with said sponsor again, arguing that the partnership “conflicted” with its values of “supporting human rights and inclusivity.”
The speedrunning charity group issued an apology to the community, saying it “failed to conduct the level of review our community should expect from us and that was an oversight we deeply regret and take full responsibility for.”
We have canceled our sponsored stream with SNK.
We have heard the concerns from our community regarding this partnership, specifically the company’s majority ownership by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and the human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government.
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) July 12, 2026
“We especially want to apologize to the runners and our host on this stream, who had nothing to do with this decision and whose runs were disrupted as a result. This isn’t a reflection on them and we are grateful for their understanding.”
Finally, GDQ promised to bolster its review process in regards to sponsors and partnerships, “including closer examination of companies’ ownership, to make sure they’re aligned with our values.”
Japanese game developer and publisher SNK notably came under majority ownership by the MiSK Foundation in November 2020, a nonprofit organization owned by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
In August 2021, MiSK Foundation CEO Badr bin Hamoud AlBadr was appointed as a director of SNK, and in the nearly six years since then, MiSK has gone on to acquire roughly 96% of the company.
SNK addressed concerns of Saudi involvement back in 2022, with producer and designer Yasuyuki Oda telling VideoGamesChronicle, “We’re not a political company or anything like that, so it doesn’t affect us in any way.”
“It has no – no – effect on our creative output. We have full freedom on what we want to create,” he added.
Summer Games Done Quick, the org’s annual charity speedrunning festival, ended on July 12, raising a grand total of $2,408,701 for Doctors Without Borders and bringing its 16th iteration to an end with a bang.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
