GDQ cancels SNK-sponsored Metal Slug stream after concerns over Saudi ownership

The Games Done Quick speedrunning charity canceled a Metal Slug stream partway through after backlash to partnering with the Saudi Arabia-backed SNK

Games Done Quick said it would not accept funds from or work with SNK in the future.

Summer Games Done Quick 2026 is now over, and while it's been a grand time as usual, one of the group's post-event streams - dedicated to celebrating Metal Slug's 30th anniversary - was ended early after many viewers expressed disappointment due to developer-publisher SNK's ties to the Saudi-owned Electronic Gaming Development Company. Read more

Games Done Quick is best known for its feel-good moments like a dog hitting a walk-off home run in a baseball video game while raising money for charity. However, this year's Summer Games Done Quick charity stream ran into controversy after GDQ announced a sponsored stream with SNK only to cancel it shortly thereafter due to players angered over the latter's ties to Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, July 12, SGDQ announced it was partnering with SNK to stream a sponsored speedrun of Metal Slug in support of the franchise's 30th anniversary. https://twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/2076394968633975242 Under three hours later, GDQ reversed course and announced the cancellation of the stream citing "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." In subsequent posts, GDQ apologized to the streaming host and speed runners and pledged that it wouldn't accept any future sponsorships from SNK. The organization also reiterated its support for human rights and inclusivity before promising to "review and strengthen our process for evaluating future sponsors and partners, including closer examination of companies' ownership, to make sure they're aligned with our values." Saudi Arabia already has a deep footprint in the gaming realm, including the developer of Pokemon Go. However, the biggest Saudi deal is the still in-progress $55 billion buyout for control of EA, one of the biggest video game publishers in the world. Video game unions have come out against the EA sale, and Saudi Arabia's involvement has also drawn the scrutiny of the U.S. Senate over potential "foreign influence." Regardless, the EA buyout is likely to receive approval even though players continue to protest against it.

Games Done Quick, the speedrunning organisation behind events like Games Done Queer and the yearly Summer Games Done Quick, have cancelled a stream sponsored by Metal Slug developers SNK following backlash to the fighting game studio being majority owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Games Done Quick apologised for the "oversight", and wrote that they "failed to conduct the level of review" they should have when deciding whether to accept the sponsorship deal. Read more