Summer Games Done Quick Speedrunning Event Will Be Online-Only This Year

Summer Games Done Quick won't have an on-site audience this year out of consideration for the safety of the attendees and competitors, the organizers announced this week. Instead, it'll be online-only like many other events which have had to be adapted to new formats in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effects on gatherings and annual events. The shift to an online-only event comes as yet another precaution for the speedrunning event after it was originally announced that Summer Games Done Quick would be pushed back to August 16th to allow for more developments to take place and see what needed to be done.

The Games Done Quick organizers announced the decision to shift to an online-only event on Friday and said the on-site portion of Summer Games Done Quick would be canceled entirely. This means that you'll still be able to watch speedrunners play your favorite games this summer, but it'll just look a bit different when viewing it. Many people watched the event from home every year anyway, but the audience is a big part of what happens, so it'll likely feel a bit different this year.

In light of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the on-site portion of #SGDQ2020 and instead proceed with an online-only event, Summer Games Done Quick 2020 Online.

For more information, including submissions and volunteer information: https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/vLKIKNNAqO

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) June 5, 2020

As for the charities the Summer Games Done Quick event will support, the organizers said the plans are still to support Doctors Without Borders.

As mentioned on the website, it will remain with the same charity as previously announced, Doctors Without Borders.

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) June 5, 2020

Prior to this announcement when Summer Games Done Quick was initially postponed, the organizers held a separate event to raise money for coronavirus relief. It was called "Corona Relief Done Quick" and offered a similar online-only experience. It was held in April, and it raised quite a bit of money towards the cause.

"Our Corona Relief Done Quick event concluded on April 19th with a total of over $400,000 for Direct Relief, as part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak," the organizer's site said about the Corona Relief Done Quick results. "Thank you all for your support."

As for Summer Games Done Quick 2020, the event is still scheduled to take place starting on August 16th, for now. It'll run from then until August 23rd, so expect to see more information about the event in the weeks leading up to it.