Games Done Quick (GDQ) founder and managing director Mike Uyama has announced that he will step down from his position and "take a break" after the 2023 Awesome Games Done Quick Online event. Matt Markle, current GDQ Operations Director, will take over the role.

The first Games Done Quick event took place in 2010 and was broadcast from the basement of Uyama's mother's house. In the 13 years since then, the organization has raised more than $41 million for charities such as the Prevent Cancer Foundation and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Various Games Done Quick events showcase the amazing feats of speedrunning and the quirky and sometimes bizarre approaches (open in new tab) by which speedrunners take on everything from Half-Life to Minecraft, Over the years, the event has garnered a lot of attention. A particularly memorable event last year was the debut of a custom Zelda build (opens in new tab) that was truly stunning.

"Since starting Games Done Quick, I have seen it grow from a small volunteer effort to the thriving organization it is today. GDQ could not have grown without the help of the speedrunning community, which has grown in size and diversity every year." We don't know where we'll go next, but one thing is for sure: we'll take a break and a vacation before diving headfirst into our next adventure."

Awesome Games Done Quick Online 2023 will air on the organization's Twitch channel from January 8-15 and will be Uyama's last event.

"I am honored that Mr. Uyama has entrusted me with the future of GDQ, and I will do everything I can to build on the foundation GDQ has established since its inception. It is incredible to see GDQ grow from a group of friends in a basement to a staff of over 50 and millions of dollars in donations." I look forward to working with the speedrunning community and staff to lead GDQ to new fundraising records in the future."