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Games Done Quick founder Mike Uyama steps down

Games Done Quick has announced Mike Uyama will step down after AGDQ 2023.

Donovan Erskine

January 5, 2023 8:20 AM

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Games Done Quick has been a staple in the online gaming community for years, bringing gamers together to raise funds for worthwhile causes through impressive video game speedruns. Since the beginning, founder Mike Uyama has been with the company. However, his time there will soon come to an end. Games Done Quick has announced that Mike Uyama will be stepping down from the company this year.

Games Done Quick shared the news of Mike Uyama’s pending exit in a press release shared with Shacknews. Awesome Games Done Quick Online 2023, which is kicking off on January 8, will be Uyama’s final event with GDQ. When Uyama departs, GDQ’s Director of Operations Matt Merkle will be taking over his duties.

"Since I started Games Done Quick, I’ve seen it grow from a small volunteer effort to the thriving organization that it is today," said Uyama. "I would not have been able to do it without the help of Matt Merkle and the growth of GDQ would not have been possible without the help of the speedrunning community, which has grown both in size and diversity over the years. I’m not sure where I’ll go next, but one thing I am sure about is that I will take a break and a vacation before diving headfirst into my next adventure."

Mike Uyama has been with Games Done Quick since the very beginning, with the original event taking place in his mother’s basement. Since then, Games Done Quick has grown to be one of the most prominent organizations in the speedrunning community. During the pandemic, the group made readjustments to deliver events remotely, continuing to raise funds for those in need. It will be interesting to see if GDQ heads in a different direction after Mike Uyama’s exit. For more on Games Done Quick, Shacknews has the information you need.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_