Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 will push through in January, but goes online-only

By Aaron Mamiit September 13, 2020

Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 is still a few months away, but its organizers have already decided that the speedrunning showcase will be an online-only event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AGDQ 2021 will not feature a live venue, as has traditionally been done in previous years, according to an update on the official Games Done Quick website. Instead, the event will be broadcast through a studio, with the speedrunners participating from within their homes.

With COVID-19 being a continuing concern, for the community's safety we have decided to move #AGDQ2021 to an online format with the same January 3rd-10th dates.

For more info: https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ

Game and select volunteer submissions will open September 24th!

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) September 12, 2020

AGDQ 2021 will keep its planned dates of January 3 to January 10, with interested participants requested to send in their submissions from September 24 to October 4. The full schedule of speedrunners is expected to be unveiled on November 9.

Fleet Fatales, the all-woman speedrunning event that is next in line in the series, is also going online-only from November 15 to November 21. It will be raising money for the Malala Fund, which aims to keep girls in the education system amid the ongoing crisis.

Summer Games Done Quick 2020 raises $2.3 million

The pandemic also forced Summer Games Done Quick 2020 into an online-only event in August, but even without the energy from a live audience, it was still able to raise $2.3 million for the benefit of Doctors Without Borders. The money raised was less than the $3 million from last year’s SGDQ, but still an impressive amount given the changes that were needed to make SGDQ 2020 happen.

Fleet Fatales and AGDQ 2021 will hope to achieve the same success of SGDQ 2021, as participants will again be looking to attract donations for a good cause while continuing to push the limits of speedrunning in video games.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…

Gaming

Counter-Strike 2 is now available on Steam for free after surprise launch

A team groups up in Counter-Strike 2.

With little more than a slight tease beforehand, Valve just launched Counter-Strike 2 on Steam.
Counter-Strike 2 - Launch Trailer
Counter-Strike is Valve's long-running competitive multiplayer shooter series. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has stayed near the top of Steam's player count charts ever since it launched in 2012. After over a decade of dominance, Valve first announced Counter-Strike 2 as a free, sequel-level upgrade to Global Offensive earlier this year. After some slight teases earlier in the month, Valve finally decided to surprise launch the game on September 27.
Counter-Strike 2 builds upon Global Offensive in Valve's newer Source 2 game engine. Outside of the obvious visual upgrades that change brings, Counter-Strike 2 adds to its predecessor with a new CS Rating system, overhauled maps, and tweaks to core mechanics like smoke grenades and the tick rate at which the first-person shooter operates. Valve also promises that the game features "upgraded Community Workshop tools," so we should get some entertaining Counter-Strike 2 mods.

Valve intends for players to smoothly transition from Global Offensive to Counter-Strike 2 as the game has simply updated to make the transition, and all items players obtained in the former work in the latter. Hopefully, this approach works out better for Valve than it did for Blizzard with Overwatch 2 last year.
Counter-Strike 2 is available now on PC via Steam. It's a free-to-play game, although players can buy a Prime Status Upgrade for $15 that grants buyers the titular moniker. Having Prime Status grants exclusive items, item drops, and weapon cases and makes the game more likely to matchmake you with other Prime Status Counter-Strike 2 players.

Gaming

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is stepping down, with successor yet to be named

Playstation CEO and president, Jim Ryan, stands in front of a blue wall with Playstation button symbols illuminated.

Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan is retiring after 30 years. The PlayStation boss will formally leave his role in March 2024 with a successor yet to be named.

Jim Ryan has been working with PlayStation since 1994 when he joined Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. Since then, he's become the key figurehead for the PlayStation brand, similar to Phil Spencer's role within Xbox. His most recent success has come from the launch of the PlayStation 5, which has already surpassed a 40 million unit milestone. Today, Sony announced that Ryan plans to retire from the role.

Gaming

Dragon’s Dogma 2 delivers exactly what you’re expecting: more Dragon’s Dogma

A dragon roars in Dragon's Dogma 2.

One year ago, I knew next to nothing about Dragon’s Dogma. If I was aware of it when it launched in 2012, I’d long since forgotten about it amid a decade’s worth of games. Who could blame me? Capcom didn’t exactly turn the fantasy-action RPG into one of its go-to IPs despite some impressive sales figures.

Dragon's Dogma 2 - 9 Minute Gameplay Deep Dive | Tokyo Game Show 2023