Another week, another whirlwind in the speedrunning world — from family world records to major event shakeups, it’s been one for the history books.
📰 Big News — Nintendo Games Out of Japan’s Biggest Speedrun Marathon
The biggest story this week comes from RTA in Japan Summer 2025, which announced it will not feature any Nintendo-owned titles.
Why? Organizers were informed they’d need to apply for permission for every single game, making logistics a nightmare. Instead of navigating the red tape, Nintendo games were dropped entirely.
This is a huge blow for the event, given how many iconic speedruns are Nintendo titles. Still, the show goes on — and an English restream is live for international viewers.
🏆 Records Shattered
- Father–Son World Record
Speedrunning legend Grandpoobear and his 6-year-old son TinyButtMighty claimed the Donkey Kong Bananza 2P Any% WR in 1:29:16. This makes TinyButtMighty both the youngest speedrunner to hold a WR and, in the community’s words, the first speedrunning nepo baby. Congrats, Little B — apparently, you carried. - SMB1 Warpless Record
Niftski continues to push the boundaries, clocking in at 18:49.972 for the new Super Mario Bros. Warpless WR. - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
LuichoX set a blistering 7:24 in Any%, using a new route that’s already got runners buzzing. - Mario Kart World Goes Wild
The v1.2.0 landing boost acceleration buff continues to shake up leaderboards:- kusaan broke the 30 Tracks (Classic, With COM) record at 1:19:53 — the first sub-1:20.
- JenZua drove Mario Circuit under 1:04.
- Rjohn1277 reclaimed Rainbow Road with a 3:56.847, using the Section 2 gap jump.
- jBoneX took Boo Cinema to 2:04.963.
- Logan became the first to hold WRs on 20 different tracks.
- Kins0 celebrated 50 days holding Moo Moo Meadows WR at 1:54.256.
- Event Match 33 got a new WR (details in the clip), and other niche categories also saw movement this week.
🎤 Events & Marathons
- Jon Summer-thon Final Edition is live — the marathon with no schedule. Games are chosen on the fly, layouts prepped hours before go-time, and if there’s a pause over 20 minutes, it’s over. Chaos by design.
- Speedromizer VIII submissions are open until August 24. The twist? You submit a game, but the game you run will be assigned at random — and you’ll have 90 days to learn it. The event runs in December and benefits Qmunity.
💬 Community Discussions
- Favorite speedgames you’ve never run yourself? Plenty of love for Metroid Prime, Celeste, and obscure PS2 classics.
- Debate sparked over whether runs have ever been DQ’d due to chat assistance — results varied by game and ruleset.
- Pokémon speedrunning talk returned — from easiest to learn (Pokémon Snap) to most fun (Pokémon Crystal glitchless got some nods).
📺 Worth Watching
- Every Super Mario Bros. Speedrun Explained in 24 Minutes — a clean, all-in-one crash course.
- The Fastest Time Saves in Dark Souls History — from frame-perfect skips to boss cheese.
- A criminally underrated speedrun YouTube channel got some spotlight this week (thread has link).
🔚 Final Lap
Between Nintendo drama, family WRs, and a deluge of Mario Kart milestones, the speedrunning scene’s energy is high. Whether you’re grinding PBs, submitting to the next marathon, or just lurking in chat, it’s a great time to be part of the community.
Source: reddit.com