Nintendo has insisted that the decision to cancel the Smash World Tour was not their choice.

The video games giant was due to grant a license to the team behind the international tournament circuit - which was due to take place across 2023 - but pulled the plug "at the last minute" and have now explained that any partner "meet the high standards" that they require.

In a statement to IGN, Nintendo said: "Nintendo would like to explain to all Super Smash Bros. fans and interested parties the background and rationale related to our decision to not grant a license to the Smash World Tour (SWT) for their upcoming activities.

"Nintendo’s decision was solely based on our assessment of the proposals submitted by the SWT and our evaluation of their unlicensed activities. This decision was not influenced by any external parties such as Panda Global. Any partner that we grant a license to has to meet the high standards we require when it comes to the health and safety of our fans. It’s also important that a partner adheres to brand and IP guidelines and conducts itself according to professional and organizational best practices. We use this same approach to independently assess all partners. If we discover that a partner is doing something inappropriate, we will work to correct it.

When we notified the SWT that we would not license their 2022 or 2023 activities, we also let them know verbally that we were not requiring they cancel the 2022 finals event because of the impact it would have on players.

"Thus, the decision to cancel the SWT 2022 was, and still is, their own choice."

The statement went on to add that the 'Super Mario' creators are still "open to partnering with other organisations" and that "Panda Global will continue to be a key partner" before concluding that they "care" about their fans want to "work hard to bring joy" to them.

The statement continued: "Nintendo cares about Super Smash Bros. fans and its community very much, and we hope to continue to hear their passionate feedback. We are committed to working hard to bring joy and fun to the community through tournaments while also ensuring we and our partners are operating in a manner that is positive and responsible."

Last month, a representative for Smash World Tour explained: "Without any warning, we received notice the night before Thanksgiving from Nintendo that we could no longer operate. This was especially shocking given our discourse with Nintendo the past twelve months. Since then, we have been working around the clock to take the proper steps logistically, as well as to prepare this statement with proper legal guidance."