Games Done Quick cancels SNK sponsorship mid-stream over Saudi Arabia human rights concerns

Games Done Quick announced and then killed a sponsored Metal Slug speedrunning showcase on July 12 — all within the span of a few hours, and partly live on stream. The event was meant to celebrate Metal Slug's 30th anniversary in partnership with SNK, but community backlash over SNK's ownership forced GDQ to pull the plug before the scheduled runs were finished.

SNK is 96% owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is tied to the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman. The PIF acquired SNK through the Misk Foundation in 2022. Viewers immediately pushed back, pointing to Saudi Arabia's well-documented human rights record — including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the criminalization of LGBTQ+ relationships, gender apartheid, and involvement in coalition air strikes in Yemen. The timing made it worse: GDQ had just wrapped Summer Games Done Quick, which raised $2,408,701 for Doctors Without Borders — an organization that has itself provided aid to victims of Saudi-led strikes in Yemen. One GDQ organizer had to interrupt the live broadcast to announce the cancellation after one Metal Slug run had already been completed.

In its statement on Bluesky, GDQ was direct: "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. We will not accept the funds from this sponsorship or continue to work with this sponsor again." The organization also admitted it "failed to conduct the level of review our community should expect" — calling it "an oversight we deeply regret" — and said it would review and strengthen its sponsorship vetting process going forward. GDQ also apologized to the stream's host and the speedrunners whose runs were cut short, noting they had no part in the decision.

Whether the community fully forgives GDQ will likely depend on whether that tightened vetting process actually holds. The speedrunners caught in the middle drew sympathy, but the broader question — how a sponsorship this obviously conflicted made it to a live stream — is one GDQ will need to answer with action, not just a statement.