Man Arrested After Threatening to Bomb Nintendo’s Headquarters

Kyoto police have apprehended a 27-year-old man accused of sending threatening messages to Nintendo, claiming he had planted bombs at the company’s headquarters. Although no explosives were discovered, this isn’t the first time the gaming giant has faced such threats.

Reports indicate that the individual sent envelopes containing letters to Nintendo, making alarming claims about having “multiple bombs” near their offices. In his messages, he allegedly stated, “I’m going to blow you all up” and “my plans cannot be thwarted,” targeting the company directly.

Nintendo first reported the threats on March 16, and after a thorough search, it was confirmed that no bombs were present on-site. The man confessed to sending the letters and was arrested on May 12. As of now, no motive has been disclosed, but it has been noted that he was unemployed.

Over the years, Nintendo has faced several bomb threats, including a notable incident in 2024 when a man threatened to bomb the company’s upcoming events, resulting in the cancellation of a Splatoon tournament and the Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo gatherings. Interestingly, Nintendo was also involved in a 2023 investigation regarding a perceived bomb threat at California State University, stemming from a student jokingly asking a professor to cancel class during a Nintendo Direct, which was interpreted as a “vague threat.”

While bomb threats against major video game companies are relatively rare, they do occur more frequently than one might expect. For instance, Ubisoft evacuated over 500 employees from its Montpellier studio in February due to a threat, but fortunately, nothing suspicious was found, and everyone remained safe.