Today, during a tournament at EGX 2023 at the ExCel in London, activists belonging to the controversial organization Just Stop Oil trespassed on the stage to disrupt a Tekken 7 tournament.
The three activists sprayed orange paint to vandalize the screens during the winners' final before standing in front of the competitor and finally being escorted away by security.
Following their removal from the stage and the venue, the activists have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police and charged with Criminal Damage.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson provided the organization's motivation for the disruptive act.
Video games let us escape into new and exciting dimensions, but real world physics are about to deliver the deaths of billions. Put more carbon into the atmosphere at this point and it’s game over. Gamers co-operate to win, and we need these skills to survive.
The organization also mentioned that EGX 2023 is sponsored by Barclays Bank, accused of having "financed around $167 billion in fossil fuels," also mentioning that "Shell sponsors popular game Fortnite as well as gaming influencers" despite the fact that this has really nothing to do with EGX, Tekken 7, or the tournament that was disrupted.
The tournament, with a prize pool of £5,000, was one of the events part of the UK and Ireland Tekken 7 Championship and counted for the chance to qualify for the European Tekken Cup.
Notably, the homepage of EGX 2023 mentions that the event is a supporter of the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge.
While Just Stop Oil used the act to call for the gamers' support of its cause, its tweet about the event (in which you can also see a video of the action) received reactions that can be described as mixed at best. While a number of commenters appear supportive, many took the chance to criticize the organization's actions or mock them.
We reached out to EGX 2023 organizer Reedpop and Tekken 7 developer and publisher Bandai Namco to hear whether they have comments on the event. We'll update this article if we hear anything relevant from them.
Update 10/18/2023: TechRaptor received a comment from Reedpop, confirming the events.
There was an incident on Sunday which was dealt with quickly by the venue security and authorities. The people involved were removed peacefully from the show, and the Esports tournament resumed quickly after a short reset.
In other Tekken News, Tekken 8 will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on January 26. You can read our hands-on preview for more information about the game.
Featured Image credit: Just Stop Oil
