Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
It’s been a very tumultuous time for Panda Global as the esports organization has dealt with allegations of sabotage and strong-arming in relation to Super Smash Bros. esports. In the wake of these allegations, one of the main supposed perpetrators, Panda Global CEO Dr. Alan Bunney, has stepped down from his positions within the company. The Panda Cup Finale has also been postponed in light of recent events.
Panda Global announced these various decisions in a recent additional statement posted on the organization's main Twitter on December 4, 2022. In this recent statement, the company announced that Dr. Bunney would be stepping down as CEO and exiting leadership of the organization. A consortium of inside and outside advisors will act as a “Interim Management Committee (IMC)” to address concerns and move forward. It is, however, not noted if Dr. Alan is completely out of the company or still retains majority ownership. The identity of the committee members is also being kept under wraps due to ongoing harassment against the Panda Global organization.
Nonetheless, the IMC laid out its priorities in the statement:
Some players have already made moves to exit Panda or have announced intention to do so. Among them were top-tier competitors like Melee’s Cody "iBDW" Schwab and Justin "Plup" McGrath as well as Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins, Zak "Coney" Zeeks, Terrence "TKbreezy" Kershaw, and Victor “Punk” Woodley.
While one might expect that Dr. Alan Bunney is keeping his head down in light of the recent allegations, that is not entirely the case. The former CEO shared a brief follow-up to Panda’s recent statement, stating that he would be issuing a further statement with evidence addressing two matters: that the Smash World Tour organizers allegedly lied about its complaints against Panda Global and that the Beyond the Summit organizers “put the community in jeopardy.”
It's been a messy fall-out since the Smash World Tour canceled its 2022 Finals and 2023 events, and it seems like it’s going to get messier before it moves towards any semblance of cleaning up. Stay tuned as we continue to follow for further updates and details on this story.