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Corona Relief Done Quick finishes with over $400K raised

Games Done Quick took the air on relatively short notice, but still managed to raise over $400K in just three days to help Direct Relief respond to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

Ozzie Mejia

April 19, 2020 7:56 PM

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The team at Games Done Quick wasn't counting on going live this weekend. They certainly weren't expecting to go live from their own homes. But that was the case this weekend with Corona Relief Done Quick, a full weekend of dedicated speedrunning for charity. That charity was Direct Relief, which has been working nonstop to help those affected by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. And as has always been the case with GDQ's audience, viewers rallied together for a good cause, raising over $400,000 for Direct Relief.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix wrapped up a full weekend of speedruns, with runner Ninten866 finishing in 2:52:03, give or take a few seconds due to technical difficulties. This was followed by a special Level 1 Critical Mode Sephiroth exhibition, the result of viewers meeting a donation. The final total as GDQ went off the air was at $400,245. The final donation total includes all Twitch Bits, GDQ Twitch channel subcriptions, and purchases from GDQ partners, like The Yetee and Fangamer.

While CRDQ's money raised doesn't quite match what GDQ is usually able to do during one of its big two weeks, this weekend's total does crush its previous three-day weekend efforts. CRDQ's $400K+ total is more than both Games Done Quick Express weekends combined, with GDQx raising $139K and $152K in its two years of existence. While CRDQ came together on short notice, the team put a lot of work into making this weekend happen, featuring a number of recent games, like DOOM Eternal, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Pokemon Shield.

Games Done Quick had hoped to run Summer Games Done Quick during its normal June slot. However, the coronavirus crisis has made that impossible, leading to this weekend's abbreviated Corona Relief Done Quick weekend. GDQ hopes to return with this year's SGDQ from August 16-23 from Bloomington, MN. Whether that happens remains to be seen, so stay tuned.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?