Nintendo Games Return To Charity Speedrunning Event ‘RTA In Japan’ After Previously Demanding “Prior Permission”
Nintendo games will be featured once again during the winter event for charity speedrunning event RTA In Japan; following the game company’s previous demand asking for “prior permission” for each title.
As we previously reported, RTA in Japan has been running since 2016 without issue, despite Japanese fair use laws, and streamers in some instances seeking permission from the publisher to stream a game. Nintendo have even released guidelines, and made demands of streamers who have violated them.
Just before RTA in Japan Summer 2025, Nintendo told organizers in June that “prior permission” was need for all their titles, and all prior uses had been “unauthorized.” Organizers pulled Nintendo games from the event, stating they would be submitting permission requests in advance, along with negotiations.
Now, it appears that the hatchet has been buried, as Nintendo games are in the line-up for RTA in Japan Winter 2025.
On November 2nd, RTA in Japan organizers shared the list of games chosen for RTA in Japan Winter 2025 (those in orange being “selected”, while those in green are a “backup”), and the contenders hoping to beat records. On the Google Doc we can see twenty-six titles published by Nintendo, all in the selected category, meaning if all goes well they will be broadcast.
The list includes a plethora of titles, from Nintendo’s early days to recent launches. We see 2009’s Punch-Out!!, Super Metroid, Star Fox 64, Splatoon 3‘s DLC Side Order, Donkey Kong Returns HD, Pikmin 4, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
There are of course Mario games; with Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario World, Mario Kart 8, Mario Golf on Game Boy Color, Paper Mario, and Yoshi’s Cookie.
Fans of Zelda can look forward to The Legend of Zelda on Game & Watch, Ocarina of Time, A Link Between Worlds, Echoes of Wisdom, and The Wind Waker.
Despite this progress, RTA in Japan organizers haven’t placed any additional attention on the returning and brand-new Nintendo games that will be played through at break-neck pace.
The recently updated webpage only confirms details for RTA in Japan Winter 2025. Running from December 25th to 31st, and broadcast on Twitch, the event will once again raise money for Doctors Without Borders. The very first game will even be a Nintendo title — Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
Nintendo’s reputation in Japan and the west couldn’t be any more different at this time. Western fans are annoyed with their “hostile” attitude towards them — such as the aforementioned “forbidding” of a charity event using their game, the ongoing lawsuit against Pocketpair over Pokémon patents, and their constant war against emulation (even for retro titles no longer being sold).
This isn’t the case in Japan however. The west and the Land of the Rising Sun have different definitions of fair use, which extends to how fans perceive Nintendo’s actions.
As explained by attorney and YouTuber Moon Channel, Japanese law is stricter with their IP, with clear definitions of what is and isn’t permitted, while the US is more vague. This results in US companies needing to more aggressively defend their IP to protect them (even small and non-profit works), while Japanese companies acting only once infringement gets “too big.”
