Games Done Quick is getting huge backlash after it canceled its planned sponsorship with SNK following concerns raised by community members. The concerns are because SNK is mostly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. GDQ said it will not accept any money from the sponsorship and admitted it should have checked the sponsor more carefully. They said it will do better to ensure sponsors match its values on human rights and inclusivity.

Katsuhiro Harada left Bandai Namco and Tekken, stood up VS Studio under SNK, hired old Tekken hands, and now says the unannounced game will be “some kind of surprise” that will not sit outside fan expectations. That is not a tease. That is a leash. He already ruled out a fantasy puzzle game. He said he wants to protect what he is good at. SNK is talking original IP or their catalog. Both still mean fists. The surprise is the logo. The expectation is the genre. He didn’t leave Tekken to become genre-agnostic. He left so the next fighter wouldn’t wear Bandai’s name.