As reported by the daily Japanese newspaper Kyoto Shimbun (via VGC), a man suspected of sending threats to Nintendo has been charged after the company cancelled two of its events last year.
The Splatoon 3 Koshien 2023 National Finals (planned for December 2023) was set to lead into the first Nintendo Live of 2024, where the world championships for both Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe were scheduled to take place. However, both events were rescheduled late last year after Nintendo reported receiving threats to its employees' and spectators' safety.
Earlier this month, the suspected source of these threats was found and today the 27-year-old man has been charged with obstructing the company's business by force.
The man reportedly submitted 39 threats through Nintendo's official enquiry forms between 22nd April and 29th November 2023. According to VGC, these threats included one linked to an unknown game, where the man wrote, "I’ll make you regret bringing such a s***ty game into this world" and threatened to "kill everyone involved," warning Nintendo to "be careful about events that have spectators in attendance."
While the Nintendo Live event in Tokyo was cancelled, both the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 3 world championships were rescheduled and took place earlier this month.