Long-running lead of Games Done Quick, Mike Uyama, says that he will leave the organization that he founded roughly 13 years ago. Uyama says that his departure begins when Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2023 comes to an end. AGDQ 2023 began just this past weekend and is currently scheduled to end on Sunday, January 15.
Set to replace Uyama as the owner and managing director of Games Done Quick is Matt Merkle. Merkle is currently GDQ's director of operations.
Uyama began GDQ with Awesome Games Done Quick in January 2010. At the time, the event took place in his mother's basement and the group raised a bit over $10,000 for charity. In the years since, GDQ expanded to also including a Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) event in addition to the Awesome Games Done Quick. These events, along with a handful of smaller events, have helped GDQ to raise more than $41 million for charities. The charities that have benefited the most include the Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders.
The currently ongoing Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 is once again a digital-only event. This year, the reason for the digital-only event isn't due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather due to an opposition to Florida's anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
If you are interested in checking out AGDQ 2023 you can watch it directly on Twitch, YouTube, or through the GDQ website.
