GDQ cancels SNK-sponsored speedrunning event after backlash over Saudi ties

Shortly after Games Done Quick (GDQ) wrapped up Summer Games Done Quick, its latest speedrunning competition that raised an impressive $2,408,701 for Doctors Without Borders, the gaming charity made a controversial decision. On Saturday afternoon, GDQ’s Bluesky and X accounts announced that it would be collaborating with Metal Slug publisher SNK to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary. The stream began as the social media posts went live.

The news was not well-received, to say the least, with the Bluesky post quickly racking up hundreds of upset comments. SNK is 96% owned by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), a sovereign wealth fund estimated at $900 billion. Ostensibly, the PIF is an extension of the Saudi Arabian government, which is responsible for widespread human rights violations, including the alleged assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Bluesky users pointed out that GDQ’s partnership with SNK runs counter to the charity's usual support for the queer community.

LGBTQ people in Saudi Arabia are persecuted, with the law allowing for fines, flogging, imprisonment, and even execution for “acts of homosexuality.”

Amnesty International’s latest report describes how the Saudi Arabian government exploits migrant workers (in a fashion likened to slave labor), jails political dissidents, executes citizens and foreign nationals for drug offenses, and discriminates against women. Another Bluesky user linked to a news story about how the Saudi government was responsible for bombing a Doctors Without Borders-supported hospital in 2016 (again, the proceeds from GDQ’s latest streaming marathon were donated to Doctors Without Borders).

In response to the backlash, GDQ canceled the Metal Slug stream partway through the event. “We will not accept the funds from this sponsorship or continue to work with this sponsor again. GDQ is committed to supporting human rights and inclusivity, and we recognize that this partnership conflicted with those values,” the organization wrote on Bluesky.

“We 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,” GDQ added.

In recent years, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, has used the PIF to expand into the video game industry. The PIF owns Savvy Games Group, which purchased mobile game publisher Scopely and Pokémon Go developer Niantic (through Scopely).

The company also holds minority stakes in Capcom, Nexon, Embracer, and Nintendo, among others. In 2025, the PIF entered a deal to acquire Electronic Arts alongside the private equity fund Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, the investment firm founded by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The PIF has similarly become involved with esports, having acquired the video game competition organizer ESL (DreamHack, Intel Extreme Masters). Earlier this year, the Saudi-owned RTS took full control of the fighting game tournament series Evo, a move that drew criticism. The latest Evo tournament in Las Vegas had significantly less attendance than the previous year.

While the Saudi Arabian government claims its foray into the gaming industry is to diversify the nation’s economy, many see the move as a means to “sportswash” the country’s image by associating it with games and other forms of entertainment rather than human rights abuses. It’s unclear if that approach is generally effective, but it seems that many GDQ viewers are too savvy to fall for the trick.