Japan's largest charity speedrunning event, RTA, will not feature Nintendo games this year due to the company's restrictive policies regarding the use of its properties. Scheduled between August 9th and 15th, the 2025 RTA marathon will host a variety of games, including favorites like Minecraft, Cuphead, and Silent Hill 2. The absence of Nintendo titles stems from a communication received in June, where Nintendo insisted RTA must seek individual permissions for each game, making it impractical for the event. Despite current circumstances, RTA organizers remain optimistic about including Nintendo games in future events and are in negotiations for future collaborations. This situation highlights Nintendo's long history of enforcing strict control over third-party content related to its games, creating a complex relationship with community-driven activities like speedruns.
Why are there no Nintendo games at RTA this year?Nintendo's strict policies require event organizers to seek permission for each game, which proved impractical for RTA in the time available.
RTA stands for "Run the Asylum" and is recognized for its emphasis on charity through speedrunning. This annual event supports charitable causes, showcasing a variety of games while engaging the gaming community. Despite the hurdles presented by Nintendo's regulations, the spirit of collaboration and charity within the gaming community continues to thrive, evidenced by a diverse lineup of games participating this year.
Casey Loh
Casey Loh is a tech-savvy writer who specializes in the intersection of gaming and technology. With a background in computer science, Casey brings a technical lens to her reviews, breaking down the nuts and bolts of game engines, graphics, and AI innovation.
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Comments
Nintendo's permission hurdles are a bummer, but RTA's lineup still packs plenty of hype—Cuphead and Silent Hill 2 speedruns should be wild. Here's hoping future talks smooth things over because nothing beats the chaos of a Mario or Zelda speedrun.
Nintendo's policies strike again—sad to see such a big speedrunning event miss out on iconic titles, but at least the lineup still looks solid. Hopefully, they can work something out for future events because the community’s passion for Nintendo speedruns isn’t going anywhere.