The Games Done Quick charity speedrunning marathon doubles as a launchpad for small indie games, giving titles like Bat to the Heavens and Small Saga crucial exposure to tens of thousands of viewers, boosting sales and wishlists through Twitch buzz and community chatter—though developers warn such attention may come with tradeoffs beyond the charitable focus.
The tech team at Games Done Quick (GDQ) faces challenges with the PlayStation RPG Chrono Cross due to the game's varying resolutions, causing capture card issues during menu transitions. Despite the game's seemingly insignificant problem, it has proven to be the most troublesome for the tech team, requiring considerable resources to address.
A Shiba Inu named Peanut Butter made history by performing a 30-minute speedrun of the 1985 NES game Gyromite at Awesome Games Done Quick 2024, using a custom controller. Trained by speedrunner JSR_, Peanut Butter didn't set a world record but finished the game under its estimate, receiving treats and prompting barks for the stream's viewers. JSR_ adopted Peanut Butter during the pandemic and spent years training him to press and hold buttons for treats, showcasing the dog's intelligence and speedrunning potential.
Games Done Quick 2024 has begun, featuring speedruns of popular games like Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, and the world's first canine speedrunner playing Gyromite on the NES. The event aims to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation and includes a variety of impressive runs, such as a race between Elden Ring and Sekiro, a modded three weapons race in Hades, and a no-damage hardcore run in Resident Evil 2 Remake.