Blue Prince Shines as a Spectacular Esport at Summer Games Done Quick

Alright, so here’s the deal. I used to think esports were all about those lightning-quick shooters or those MOBAs that fry your brain just trying to keep up. Seriously, those games are something else. But a solo puzzle game? As an esport? I thought, no way, man. Well, slap me sideways, I was wrong. Turns out, this year’s Summer Games Done Quick threw a curveball I didn’t see coming, with a twist on Blue Prince. Yeah, I said Blue Prince. They’ve somehow turned it into a pulse-pounding watch. Wild, right?

Picture this: It was late Monday or some such, can’t remember now, during Games Done Quick’s summer shindig, which, by the way, is all about raking in the dough for Doctors Without Borders. They’re doing great stuff. Anyway, Blue Prince makes its grand entrance at GDQ, but not in the way you’d think. Instead of the usual speedrun deal to Room 46 or whatever, these speed demons, Randringtail and BobbyBurm, dive into a “B Quest Bingo” race. Sounds bonkers and, honestly, it kinda is.

Here’s the scoop—before the race kicked off, each got this bingo board based on Blue Prince’s map layout. Totally intricate, with each square having its own challenge, like unlocking gates or snagging room upgrades. With 90 minutes on the clock, it was a free-for-all to tick off as many challenges as they could. Whoever managed to create an unbroken line from entrance to antechamber scored the win. Not gonna lie, it was messy but exhilarating!

I mean, the crowd was going bananas, and major props to Gelly for the commentary, which was like having a sports announcer at a horse race. Blue Prince, on its own, is a brain-buster with its draft puzzles, room quirks, and not-so-hidden secrets. Add in some randomness and it’s chaos. Now, imagine zipping through all that mental gymnastics at hyper-speed. It’s less about your knowledge of Blue Prince as it is about rolling with the punches. Picture two chess grandmasters duking it out in a twister, and you kinda get the vibe.

Anyway, you can catch the whole shebang on Games Done Quick’s YouTube. Heads up though: spoiler city. In fact, I stumbled on a few secrets I hadn’t found yet, even though I’ve sunk probably 100 hours into Blue Prince myself. Like, who knew you could do that in the entrance hall? Mind-blowing. At the very least, it’ll remind you just how deep—and maybe bottomless—this roguelike puzzle rabbit hole goes.