A recent alleged threat toward aNintendoexecutive has led to a woman getting arrested. Harassment and threats in the gaming industry are unfortunately common occurrences, particularly toward employees of game companies.Nintendo has previously made efforts to protect its staff from customer harassment, particularly for employees working in repair services.
In the online video game age in which developers, creators, and executives can be found on social media with ease, instances of harassment have been consistently common in the gaming industry. These can range from individual cases of threats made toward online creators and developers to large-scale harassment in companies likeActivision-Blizzard which has been hit with multiple sexual harassment lawsuitsover the past few years. In some cases, this can also include death threats which cause the harassment to be classified as a criminal offense in most places.
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One of Nintendo’s executives was recently an alleged victim of this form of intimidation. As reported by Kyoto Shimbun and translated by Nintendo Everything, a Kyoto woman was arrested by police on February 9 on suspicion of intimidation. She is alleged to have sent a death threat to aNintendoexecutive by mailing a package addressed to the executive at Nintendo’s south Kyoto headquarters. The package is said to have contained a bag of incense as well as documents that said, among other things, “I-I’ll kill you” and “Die Nintendo!”
Nintendo has yet to publicly comment on the situation, and there is not yet any confirmation on whom the executive in question is. The timing of the arrest is notable in that it happened the same day that theFebruary 2023 Nintendo Directwas airing in Japan. It can be inferred that the threats could have been made in connection with the widely anticipated Nintendo Direct which had a number of high-profile announcements such asMetroid Prime Remasteredand the new trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Harassment made toward game developers and game executives has gotten more of a spotlight in recent years as many have noted just how pervasive and damaging it can be to those receiving it. Members of theUS Congress even inquired into harassment in the game industrylate last year, particularly in regard to companies like Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, and Ubisoft. As these threats continue to happen and, in some cases, escalate to becoming criminal offenses, it becomes more likely that further legislation will be put in place to combat and deter these actions.
