Nintendo Live Threatener Sentenced to One Year in Prison
Man accused of sending threats to Nintendo, leading to Tokyo Nintendo Live event canceled earlier this year, was sentenced to a year in prison following a court ruling (thanks, Splatoon Torikara & Everything about Nintendo).
The 27-year-old admitted his crimes last month, blaming his growing frustration at losing Splatoon 3 game. In 39 threats sent via Nintendo’s official request form between April 22 and November 29, 2023, the man threatened to “kill everyone involved” in the game’s creation and warned the company to “be careful with events with spectators in attendance.”
A statement from a Nintendo employee was read out at this week’s court ruling, in which they confessed they were “frightened” by the threats because it reminded them of the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack – in which 36 people were killed after the perpetrators sent similar threatening letters.
Nintendo Live Threat Case Ends, Judge Rules (translated above) Twitter via @OatmealDome) described the perpetrator’s actions as “selfish” and the way he committed the crime as “persistent and malicious”. He was later sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for four years.
Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe The World Championship (originally held at Nintendo Live Tokyo) was rescheduled in April. Nintendo since then Stripping Splatoon Tournament Winners after evidence of racist behaviour from “some members of the Jackpot group”.
