Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 will take place online due to health and safety concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
Due to take place January 3-10, AGDQ 2021 is usually a joyous way to kickstart the year for gaming fans. It's a chance to watch the unfathomable talents of the world's top speedrunners as they tear through our favorite titles over the course of a week-long livestream. While the event will still be taking place, it'll do so in a very different form this time around thanks to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) September 12, 2020
For more info: https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ
Game and select volunteer submissions will open September 24th!
"Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the community, Games Done Quick has made the difficult decision to move AGDQ 2021 to an entirely online format and will not feature a live venue," an expanded post on the GDQ website, reads. "Similar to SGDQ 2020, we will broadcast the event from our studio, with runners participating from the safety of their homes. The broadcast dates will remain the same, with AGDQ 2021 showcasing some of the best speedrunners in the world from January 3rd-10th, 2021."
We'd certainly all hoped that the deadly virus would be history by next year, but sadly it doesn't look to be going away any time soon. As such, many events planned for early 2021 across the globe have already been cancelled or shifted to an online format. Games Done Quick has announced the change well ahead of the event's date, which hopefully leaves plenty of time for necessary scheduling and planning.
The dates for AGDQ 2021 will remain the same, so you'll still be able to tune in to the AGDQ 2021 stream (on the GamesDoneQuick Twitch channel) from January 3 to January 10. But this time we'll likely see speedrunners competing from the comfort of their own homes instead of infront of a live audience, much like with SGDQ 2020.
Along with word of the COVID-19 related shift in formatting, the tweet also confirmed that game subissions for AGDQ 2021 will be opening from September 24, closing on October 4. That means you've got ten days to prepare your submission if you want to take part in the show!
To recap, AGDQ 2021 will take place January 3-10, with an entirely online format due to COVID-19.
