Splatoon 3 World Championship Winners Will Have Spot Vacated Following Racism Allegations

Team Jackpot’s victory in the Splatoon 3 World Championship will be vacated, and the team will not be receiving trophies as a result. Nintendo announced the decision yesterday on one of the company’s official X/Twitter accounts, noting that “certain members” of the team “acted in a manner that is not in line with our Community Guidelines while playing the Splatoon 3 game.” The company did not elaborate on the violations, but members of the Splatoon community have pointed to racist comments made online by members of the team as a possible reason for Nintendo’s decision. 

While this type of decision wouldn’t normally have an impact on the game itself, there is some in-game content that was given to Splatoon 3 players following Jackpot’s win. A special Splashtag banner was made and distributed in the game, featuring Jackpot’s Inklings and Octolings with the World Championship banner behind them. However, Nintendo has announced it will be adjusting that banner as a result of this decision. 

“Additionally, the in-game Splashtag banner commemorating their win will be adjusted via an upcoming software update. Nintendo cares deeply about our players and our community, and we take our responsibility to uphold our Community Guidelines seriously,” the statement reads. 

Nintendo has been very careful to avoid any kind of definitive statements about the specific Guideline violations, so it’s currently unclear whether these comments are the actual reason behind the decision, or if it was something else. Regardless, the announcement has brought about the exact reaction one might expect on social media, and replies to the Tweet from Nintendo are kind of a dumpster fire right now. 

Team Jackpot won the Splatoon 3 World Championships in April, with the U.S. based team defeating Japan’s Phantom Thief of the Heart in the finals. At this time, Nintendo has not revealed how the Splashtag Banner will be adjusted following the change, but some Splatoon fans have suggested that the new Splashtag banner should be made based on Phantom Thief of the Heart, instead. However, fans will likely have to wait until the update is rolled out for Splatoon 3 before we see how things have been changed. 

Are you surprised that the World Championship win will be vacated? How do you feel about the competitive scene in Splatoon 3? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Video Games Chronicle]