Nintendo has announced that the Splatoon 3 World Championship winners will no longer be able to claim their victory and that the in-game banner featuring their image will be changed. This comes after the winning team's actions both within and outside of Splatoon 3 caused controversy.

While Nintendo has a history of involvement in eSports, its games may not be the first that fans think of when they contemplate the genre. The World Championship for Splatoon 3 took place in April after being postponed from January at first because of bomb threats directed at Nintendo and its staff. After competition between teams from six different regions, the victorious team is no longer in the mood to celebrate.

Nintendo formally declared that Jackpot, the victorious team, will have their victory nullified. It also won't be getting the trophies that go along with the victory. This is in response to information concerning the team's activities that surfaced approximately one month ago. Several pictures and videos showing Jackpot team members making racial jokes about Splatoon 3 players and disseminating similar unpleasant memes and photos have come to light. Although game creators regularly take action against racist behaviour in their works, these competitors' actions are especially heinous in light of Nintendo's reputation as a family-friendly brand.

Future Adjustments for Splatoon 3

The squad's winning banner will be altered in an upcoming Splatoon 3 update, in addition to the announcement that the team's victory would be nullified. Splatoon 3 announced themselves as world champions and provided an in-game banner that any fan may use to commemorate their win. The World Championship emblem and the champions' in-game portraits were shown on the banner. It's unclear how Nintendo plans to change the banner, but players can at least anticipate the four team members being taken out. To fully distance the game from these acts, it's also feasible that it will be totally replaced with a totally other and unrelated banner.

Most Splatoon community members appear to be reacting positively to Nintendo's efforts right now. This kind of behaviour, especially coming from champions who represent the game, has no place in Splatoon, which many fans view as an inclusive title. Even though one of the team members did address the claims and issue an apology back in June, Nintendo was unable to ignore the behaviour, especially after the proof went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, after Jackpot was eliminated, the World Championship runners-up were not given the victory. It appears that there won't be a champion in the 2024 Splatoon 3 World Championships.