Twitch recently announced a 100-hour storage limit for Highlights and will be deleting anything outside the limit on April 19th, 2025.  This is, of course, alarming as many speedrun submissions make use of Twitch highlights.

# Downloading Runs At Risk

Before I dive into the rest of the article, I would like to spotlight a community effort to mitigate the damage caused by Twitch’s actions here. A sincere thank you to @Matse007 and the team behind the Speedrun Rescue Script which detects runs submitted (either from a specific individual or for a whole game) with Twitch Highlights and downloads them for you. With your footage safely preserved, you can re-upload your runs to another platform and update your submissions as needed. At the very least, this script ensures that the valuable content you’ve worked hard to capture remains accessible to you.

[You can get it from the Github page here, alongside the installation instructions.](https://github.com/Matse007/SpeedrunRescueScript)

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf7VPdIDDg0u-BzbdpG9VcE_xenHcsOBwisYIn85awtk48SvMZAHQwOs9kcv8kmRXeVtt0UGdblLG1eGIC6t0TfAQ5soJtcU1nmZMSTUIV_2Wty1qTASnvLxZEbE2-NB51eh5bq?key=uq53moH6c6uD_CQPJZjukOHE)

The Speedrun Rescue Script requires installing Python and some other dependencies, so it might not be the most beginner-friendly - but if you’re comfortable with a more technical setup, it’s the best option for backing up all of your runs that are potentially at risk.

If you’re not comfortable with the more technical approach, [Clipr.xyz](https://clipr.xyz/) offers a web-based option for downloading individual VODs. This tool works in a pinch if you only need to save a handful of VODs.

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeD8I35HWNZaxXjneeptn7oDVP2ZBwyvtB6pJJ-DuxAxgpcEA_hSr86KBZl1GiIxt_N4MT7Eau4TmKN2uin1MNjmim5U0GhhxACWm74kzCsB04euDuK_AttSoxFeFh4AT_R8W2E?key=uq53moH6c6uD_CQPJZjukOHE)

You can also export VODs directly to YouTube right from within the Twitch Video Producer, although it’s worth noting it’s only one at a time and quite slow.

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfL1ycfd-_mBPJ_aybnbGqdBB59S7lFf6jNQ_ASz1Jqhgrsz-3PkzTEqC_72E-ClF9XmTkRDrsuf-UQnBHHEiHhDhmn6k0uFeO_cfhfK113GfAKNtcPUHiseY-uN4eRwqu2fuTFrg?key=uq53moH6c6uD_CQPJZjukOHE)

If you have any other suggestions or know of alternative tools, please share them in the comments - I’ll review them all and potentially add them to the article.

# Highlight Lock

Adding to the urgency, Twitch is preventing users from creating new Highlights until their stored content is below the 100-hour limit - meaning many runners with **hundreds or even thousands of hours of archived footage** are currently unable to save their runs. **For many, sorting through that amount of content is completely unreasonable.**

# A Troubling Pattern - Long-Term Solutions

With the short-term stuff out of the way - let’s talk long-term. Those of you who have been around for a few years may remember similar previous events with YouTube’s unlisted videos and with older Imgur content (frequently used for guides). This is a disturbing pattern that is repeatedly threatening the history of our community.

While we don’t have immediate answers, I wanted to let you know that we are *very* well aware of the situation at hand and are **actively discussing long-term solutions to protect speedrunning history** from similar issues in the future. If you have ideas you would like us to consider, by all means, feel free to drop them in the comments for me to review.

# A message to Runners and Moderators 

We understand that many runners will be re-submitting potentially dozens of runs in the near future. Please be patient with your moderators, as they will be handling a significant influx of submissions while also balancing the rest of their responsibilities outside of speedrunning.

Moderators, once things have settled, we kindly ask that you refrain from deleting any run submissions that were previously verified with video proof, even if the footage was later removed by Twitch.

# Conclusion

This situation is frustrating as hell - but it’s also a reminder of how resilient and resourceful the speedrunning community is. While Twitch’s changes put years of history at risk, efforts like the Speedrun Rescue Script show that we’re not powerless. In the short term, take action to back up your runs, and in the long term, let’s work together to find solutions that protect our community’s archives.

Please be sure to thank the team behind Speedrun Rescue Script personally or in the comments.

We’ll keep you updated as we explore better ways to safeguard speedrun history. In the meantime, **if you have any other tools, insights, or ideas, drop them in the comments** - we're all in this together :)

### *Cam // Meta - Speedrun.com Community Manager*

Let's talk about Twitch and their 100 Hour Limit.

Twitch Highlight Limit & Speedruns At Risk

Here’s everything you’ll want to know heading into the challenge:

**Starting Date:** February 27th @ 12:00PM UTC

**Duration:** 10 days, until 11:59PM UTC March 9th, 2025

## **Prize Distribution:**

The $500 prize pool will be distributed among the top performers for fastest completion time in the selected category. The distribution is as follows:

**1st place** - $250

**2nd place** - $150

**3rd place** - $100

Please note that in order to comply with international tax law, **the challenge cash prize may be subject to tax withholding based on the winner's country of residence.**

## **Participation Prizes:**

As usual with our SRC Series Challenges, we are bringing back participation prizes!

First of all, any runner who submits any runs to the Zuma’s Revenge Initiate Speedrun Challenge will receive **one month** of SRC Supporter, if you haven’t heard of Supporter before you may learn more about it[ here](https://www.speedrun.com/supporter)!

Secondly, any challenge participants will be awarded with a unique title! If you’re unfamiliar with Titles, they are a unique descriptor that goes alongside your username on your profile (as well as profile popovers) which can (as of right now) only be acquired by participating in Challenges right here on SRC. To find out more, check out our last article about Titles![ https://www.speedrun.com/news/17vr795x-introducing-titles](https://www.speedrun.com/news/17vr795x-introducing-titles)

The title for participating in this challenge will be… **Ball Buster**!

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXc0tYU9C0ugU_02EEXh46gPBSyMRmw9v-2F5SSdd_Me4npsgLAjMA__ukq4azQM4qp7DhQiiT5nZecIbeiyrw3tc97akpBZSP59KxIAy_wIJFAQn-_ur-S7hWsPS1O4La2ryGyW3Q?key=yTuCtEsxX4Xj9ArfQbYpRD36)

## **Eligibility:**

Open to players aged 18 and above worldwide, with the following exceptions: North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.

If you are under the age of 18, not to worry! You can still participate and win the participation prizes, but unfortunately you will not be eligible for the cash prizes amongst the top 5.

## **Category:**

### **Initiate**

Create a new file and play the first 10 levels of Adventure Mode (1-1 through 1-10). Then navigate to the challenges menu in the main menu and complete the 10 challenges in the “Mettle of the Monkey” page in any order.

## **Submission:**

Record your speedrun and submit it via [our Challenge leaderboard here on Speedrun.com.](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/l0yzny8e-zumas_revenge-src-series-zuma-s-revenge-initiate-challenge)

Follow the guidelines provided for video formatting and submission requirements, found in the rules section. Please note that we require that prize eligible runs submitted to this challenge must have been live streamed to qualify.

**Rules and Regulations:**

All speedruns must adhere to the official rules, available on the Speedrun.com Challenge leaderboard.

Contest Rules: [https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/l0yzny8e-zumas_revenge-src-series-zuma-s-revenge-initiate-challenge/rules?view=contest](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/l0yzny8e-zumas_revenge-src-series-zuma-s-revenge-initiate-challenge/rules?view=contest)

Category Rules: [https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/l0yzny8e-zumas_revenge-src-series-zuma-s-revenge-initiate-challenge/rules?view=challenge](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/l0yzny8e-zumas_revenge-src-series-zuma-s-revenge-initiate-challenge/rules?view=challenge) 

## **Preparation Suggestions**

To find tips & tricks for the speedrun, visit [the Zuma's Revenge leaderboard right here on Speedrun.com](https://www.speedrun.com/zumas_revenge) and/or join [Popcap Games Speedrunning Discord Server](https://discord.gg/RkJ3Fdhhz4)!  You can also follow either the game or the challenge to receive notifications about challenge activity!

**Good luck, and have fun!️**

This month we’re swapping shotguns for balls - our next SRC Series challenge is all about mastering Zuma’s Revenge! Think fast, shoot faster, and keep those chains from reaching the skull. 🔵🟡🔴

SRC Series: Zuma's Revenge Initiate Speedrun Challenge

Introducing the Wii Series Olympics, a brand new LTA competition across the Wii Series of games!

# What is the Wii Series Olympics?

Throughout February to May, runners have one week to complete runs of a game in the series. Runners get to choose the category they want via a vote held in the community Discord server. These can be existing categories or unique challenges devised by the speedrun moderators.

This event will take a particular focus on time barriers, with each one awarding ranking points towards the overall leaderboard. Bronze, Silver and Gold are fixed times, starting off beginner-friendly at Bronze. The top 5 runners at the end of the event win a share of the prize pool.

# Which games are included?

The Wii Series covers the various first-party games branded under the "Wii..." name by Nintendo. These include the Wii Sports series, Wii Party, Wii Play, Wii Fit and Wii Music. Even the revival entry Nintendo Switch Sports is in there!

The most popular games will appear twice to give people multiple chances to play. These will appear in pairs and will last 2 weeks.

We've held events like this in the past, but this time we're going one step further...

# The dynamic Platinum time barrier

For the few who manage to conquer the Gold barrier, there is one final step to achieve perfection - the Platinum barrier. This is set by 1st place and moves as the top time is improved. Only 1st place can achieve Platinum and score the full 1,000 points. Nothing is certain until the end of play for the week!

# Encouraging development and new experiences

Events like this are great for encouraging both newcomers and existing runners to try something new. Many people opt to speedrun one game or sub-series, for example Wii Sports games. However, the Olympics format takes each player's top 5 best performances for an overall score, allowing the playing field to spread between single-game specialists and all-rounders.

The Wii Series is highly accessible for speedrunning since the majority of games are playable on the original Wii, with a range of resources available to get started.

More info about the event can be found in the community Discord server, or alternatively you can simply submit to the Wii Series Olympics categories as they pop up on SRC during each period. We'd love to see you there!

1: Wii Sports Club - 10th-17th Feb
2: Wii Fit	- 17th-24th Feb
3: Wii Sports Resort - 24th Feb-3rd Mar
**4: Wii Party + Wii Play - 3rd-17th Mar**
5: Wii Fit U - 10th-17th Mar
6: Nintendo Switch Sports - 17th-24th Mar
7: Wii Party U	- 24th-31st Mar

BREAK FOR ONE WEEK

8: Wii Play - 7th-14th Apr
9: Wii Music - 14th-21st Apr
10: Wii Play Motion - 21st-28th Apr
**11: Wii Sports + Wii Sports Resort - 28th Apr-12th May**
12: Wii Fit Plus - 5th-12th May
13: Wii Sports	- 12th-19th May
14: Wii Party - 19th-26th May

The Wii Series Olympics is a 14 week LTA competition across the Wii Series of games! This LTA event has a particular focus on time barriers, with each one awarding ranking points for the overall leaderboard.

Wii Series Olympics - A New 14 Week LTA Series

# The Gold Split Newsletter - Week #32 - Twitch's Time Trials

The Gold Split offers a free, weekly digest of news from the world of speedrunning and beyond.

This **Story of the Week** is all about Twitch's recent announcement of limiting the storage of highlights and was featured in this week's issue. The full post includes **more news**, briefly, as well as this week's top times. Check it out **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-32)**.

## ![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/wzxxw3qz.png)

# Story of the Week ✨

Yesterday, on February 19th 2025, **Twitch** decided to be an ass and announced that they would limit the storage capacity for *Highlights*. Let’s go over the details and effects of the new policy, what to do now and even discuss some potential alternatives. Even though it affects every streamer, the speedrunning community is disproportionately targeted by this announcement.

## Twitch’s New Policy

The main and crucial part of the announcement is the future storage limit for *Highlights* of 100 hours. This will come into effect retroactively and everybody above the limit right now will see their content deleted on April 19th 2025 until it reaches a total duration below the threshold.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3123770b-207c-44e8-a467-135f6d5a6e38_1600x900.jpeg)

Additionally, it is already affecting people right now: if you are above the limit, you will not be able to save any more *Highlights*.

Because *Past Broadcasts* only get saved for a few weeks at most depending on your Twitch status level and *Clips* have a maximum duration of 60 seconds, *Highlights* used to be the main way to preserve past speedruns indefinitely and provide a living record. And for many people they still are. These days, YouTube has taken over a large part of this and most speedruns submitted to speedrun.com include a link to a YouTube video, but a large part of the history is still found in Twitch *Highlights*.

## What it causes

Now, at least a decade of speedrunning history is in peril. A speedrunner’s *Highlights* on Twitch are documenting their personal journey as well as how routes and techniques evolved. They’re a living record of a community’s progress and it’s an educational resource for newcomers. Additionally, leaderboards are set to lose countless runs that were submitted as Twitch *Highlights*.

Even if everything was miraculously saved and exported to other platforms, Twitch’s discovery features with the ability to look for content for a specific game only works great as a library for this type of content. Streaming on Twitch is now many people's livelihood, and it’s unreasonable to expect them to go through hundreds or even thousands of hours of videos to preserve their *Highlights*.

And the effects don’t stop at the individual streamers. Marathon organisations like Games Done Quick likely already have a different platform for their past events, but will be forced to stop offering them on Twitch. YouTube creators will have a much harder time to find clips and information for their long-form video essays that showcase a game’s unique speedrunning history. And for viewers, the ability to read chat messages sent during the livestream alongside the VoDs gives Twitch *Highlights* an edge over other platforms.

Ultimately, I expect that a lot of people, both streamers and viewers but especially speedrunners, are going to consider alternatives and that this new policy will do more harm than good in the long run.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F241cfc90-f1bc-41fb-ae35-e748b3868316_898x521.jpeg)[Joshimuz](https://www.twitch.tv/joshimuz)’ overfilled *Highlight* storage

## Arguments

Twitch claims that *Highlights* don't drive discovery or engagement like *Clips* or the mobile feed and are therefore considered ineffective. But for speedrunners it’s not all about the numbers. It’s about keeping a historical record. Low view counts don’t equate to low importance.

Twitch tries to soften the blow by arguing that only 0.5% of active streamers would be affected. But this makes it even more baffling that a drastic step like this is necessary. Besides, the announcement overgeneralises and treats all content alike. I bet that the percentage is much higher among our community. A one-size-fits-all policy is incredibly blunt and not the solution. It erodes trust in the close relationship between Twitch and the speedrunning community yet again, and some people will leave.

We’re all aware that storage and maintenance isn’t free. But other platforms have also figured this out long ago, maintaining vast libraries of rarely viewed content. In addition, Twitch is owned by Amazon, which also runs AWS, one of the largest cloud service providers with access to highly scalable, cost-effective storage.

## Alternative Solutions

Let’s entertain their arguments for a bit and assume that some form of action is absolutely necessary. At the heart of it all it’s still a money issue and there are many better potential solutions that don’t cripple the speedrunning history of the entire community.

- For content that sees little traffic, Twitch could migrate these videos to a lower-cost archival storage solution while still being retrievable. It reduces costs significantly while still preserving these libraries.
- Similarly, another option might be to automatically downscale the resolution of videos stored long term with a low amount of views. This reduces their file size and the costs of storing them.

## The Path Forward

We need to move forward under the assumption that Twitch is not going to back-pedal on this policy. Many leaderboards are already considering rejecting times submitted with a Twitch *Highlight* as the video.

If you are a moderating one or more leaderboards: help preserve the legacy of the game(s) you oversee. Launch a community effort to check the speedruns on your leaderboards and verify whether the videos are hosted on Twitch or elsewhere. Inform the runners that use Twitch *Highlights* about the issue. Ideally, no action is necessary if their *Highlights* don’t add up to 100 hours. But if they exceed the limit, advise them to export the videos and provide a new link.

Many runners have already left the scene and won’t hear about this, but their times still remain relevant or even competitive. If you don’t receive a response shortly before the deadline on April 19th 2025, please take the initiative to download those videos yourself, re-upload them as private videos to a shared community channel on a different platform and update the links.

For all speedrunners, here are some options you might consider:

- Check whether or not you’ve reached the 100-hour limit through your Twitch Dashboard. You’ll find the *Video Producer* under *Content.*
- If you are, start working on exporting and/or backing up everything that might be valuable.
- Create a plan about which *Highlights* to manually delete before April 19th. Don’t leave it up to Twitch to select them automatically.
- Stream your progress! Take a trip down memory lane together with your community!
- Raise awareness! Share this article and re-post content regarding the issue on your favourite social media platform.

## Helpful Links

- **[TwitchDownloader](https://github.com/lay295/TwitchDownloader)** can help you to download videos in bulk and save chat messages in a separate file.
- Matse007’s **[SpeedrunRescueScript](https://github.com/Matse007/SpeedrunRescueScript)** checks your own runs on speedrun.com and lets you download the videos hosted on Twitch.
- **[Jonga’s Step-by-Step Process](https://bsky.app/profile/jongamebeer.bsky.social/post/3lim2ygbvuk26)** on Bluesky is about setting up a separate YouTube channel and exporting Twitch *Highlights* there.

![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/rz251jdz.png)

Thank you for reading! If you're curious about more of this week's news or would even consider subscribing to the newsletter, you'll find the full post over **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-32)**.

Finding new stories to cover can be challenging. I encourage you to think about what happened recently in the communities you are a part of. If there are any stories, articles, glitches, events, or other topics I should be taking a look at, go ahead and **[submit them here](https://forms.gle/F1VJ4PG68FTZKqn49)** or on the **[Gold Split Discord](https://discord.gg/SpbFCgsYkU)**! 📨

The Gold Split is a free weekly newsletter focused on speedrunning. This week's main story is all about Twitch's recent announcement of limiting the storage of highlights.

Twitch's Time Trials - The Gold Split #32

Hey everyone!
I'm excited to announce that submissions are now open for NissanTV Speedrun Marathon #2! This is a four-day speedrunning event happening from June 19–22 (technically extending to June 23 due to time zones). The goal is to bring the community together to showcase amazing speedruns, races, and unique runs of all kinds!

## **How to Submit & What’s Welcome?**

You can submit any kind of run you love:
✅ **Speedruns** – Any game, retro or modern
✅ **Randomizers** – Any variation is welcome
✅ **Showcase Runs** – Highlight a unique boss fight, an obscure game, or a special mechanic
✅ **Races** – If you want to go head-to-head with someone, go for it!

Submissions are open **until sometime in May** (exact deadline TBD), and responses will be sent out quickly so we can finalize the schedule as soon as possible.

## **Rules & Requirements**

The rules are simple: **Common sense and Twitch Terms of Service apply.** We also ask that you are 18 years of age or older. Other than that, the main goal is to have fun and celebrate speedrunning!

## **How to Get Involved**

📌 **Submit your run here:** [Sign-up Form](https://forms.gle/EFb3xnDYvxbxt7PNA)
📌 **Join the community & stay updated:** [Discord](https://discord.gg/YztAqAgXyx)

Last year’s marathon was a great success, and I’d love to see even more people join in this time. Whether you participated last year or are new to the event, you're all more than welcome!

NissanTV Speedrun Marathon is back for its second year! This is a four-day online marathon running from June 19–22 (technically June 23 due to time zones). 

NissanTV Speedrun Marathon #2 – Submissions Now Open!

**Hell of an Office** [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640890/Hell_of_an_Office/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640890/Hell_of_an_Office/)

*The game is currently on sale until the end of February 23rd.*

### **Event Schedule**

📅 **Starts:** February 16th @ 12:00 PM EST📅 **Ends:** March 17th @ 12:00 AM EST

### **Payout Information**

The **payout date is not the same as the event end date**. Please allow us time to verify all runs. Once the verification process is complete, we will communicate the payment details and distribute payouts accordingly.

### **Important Notes**

- **Runs must be submitted to** [https://www.speedrun.com/Hell_of_an_Office](https://www.speedrun.com/Hell_of_an_Office) **in order to be eligible.** 
- **Rules are subject to change by the organizers. Join the RapidRuns4Fun Discord to be updated on any potential rule changes throughout the Event.** [https://discord.gg/MVYRjgYAHW](https://discord.gg/MVYRjgYAHW)
- The **top 10 RTA times will be re-timed at the end of the event**, and **load times will be manually removed** for accuracy to ensure fairness.
- **Hell rush runs must be live-streamed.** This is used as an additional layer of security to prevent cheating.
    - If you have a local recording and prefer to upload it as a YouTube video instead, you’re welcome to do so. However, please provide the VOD or a highlight of the stream so we can verify that it hasn’t been tampered with.
- **Individual level runs do not need to be live-streamed** but can be locally recorded.
- **At the end of the event, please check Speedrun.com**, as I will message you there after the event.
    - Please ensure that your privacy settings on Speedrun.com allow private messages. To do this, go to your **account settings, privacy, and make sure the option 'Don't allow other users to send me private messages' is turned off.** This will enable me and the other moderators to contact you directly!
- **In the event of a tie,** the award will be given to the player who achieved the time first

### **Category: Hell Rush**

🏆 **Goal:** Complete the game starting from **Level 1-Elevator Pitch** through **Level 100–Pandemonium Showdown and defeating Mr.Stan Morningstar.**

**Estimated Length of Run:** 00:25:00 - 00:30:00 **(hh:mm:ss) Current leaderboard times do not count toward this event**—only submitted runs during this event are considered

### **Timing**

- **Start:** After Loading into Level 1-Elevator Pitch from the Level Select screen.
- **End:** ‘Level Completed’ screen appears after completing Level 100–Pandemonium Showdown.

**Timing Method:** Real-Time Attack (RTA) – No auto-splitter or Load Removal is currently available.

****If you are capable of making an Auto-splitter or Load Remover for the game please contact any of the moderators for Hell of an Office through Speedrun.com**

****Main Rules – Hell Rush ($1,750)**

- **Speedometer and Lava must be enabled.**
- **Video footage must include all game audio and FPS.**
- For re-timing purposes, **please include at least 1–2 seconds of footage before and after your run.**
- Runs must be performed on an **unmodified version of the game.**
- For verification, the **Speedometer must be enabled in the game settings** to help detect macro usage.
- **No overlays or elements should cover key gameplay components** (e.g., stapler animations, timer, speedometer).
- **Macros, autoclickers, and third-party applications are not allowed.**
- **A LiveSplit timer is recommended** (not used for official timing but helpful for tracking RTA).

### **Prizes**

🥇 **1st Place:** $1,000🥈 **2nd Place:** $500🥉 **3rd Place:** $250

### **Individual Level Runs ($500)**

- **Speedometer and Lava must be enabled.**
- **Video footage must include all game audio and show FPS. (At a minimum of 30FPS)**
- If applicable, **include 1–2 seconds of footage from your previous attempt**, level select screen, or previous level.
- Runs must be performed on an **unmodified version of the game.**
- **No overlays should cover key gameplay elements** (e.g., stapler animations, timer, speedometer).
- **Macros, autoclickers, or external tools are not allowed.**
- **LiveSplit is NOT required** for Individual Level runs.
- At the end of your run, **show the leaderboard along with your time** before moving to the next level. Skipping this step may nullify your run.

### **Individual Level WR Incentive** 

🏆 **$5 per World Record** at the end of the event!

- With **100 levels available**, you can earn up to **$500 total**.
- **In-game leaderboard times do not count** toward this event—only submitted runs are considered. 
- Players on the Ineligble player list may still submit their times to the leaderboard, but their results will not be included in the final standings. For example, if ChewbaccaChills holds the world record and you place second, you will receive the award as if you had placed first.

**RapidRuns4Fun Discord:** [https://discord.gg/MVYRjgYAHW](https://discord.gg/MVYRjgYAHW)

RapidRuns4Fun is a **community-driven** speedrunning hub that brings together runners of all skill levels to celebrate the thrill of speedrunning! Whether you're chasing world records, supporting charity, or just looking for some fun competition, we've got something for you.

### **What We Do:**

🚀 **Marathons for Charity** – We host speedrun marathons where runners can showcase their favorite games, with all proceeds going to a **charity of choice**.

🏆 **Speedrun Bounties** – Want to put your skills to the test? We organize **bounties with prizes**, both for community-funded challenges and our own exclusive bounties!

⚔️ **Head-to-Head Challenges** – Compete in exciting **speedrunner vs. speedrunner** matchups, with some events featuring **cash prizes** for the winners!

🎥 **Content Creation & Showcasing** – We create **YouTube content** and **feature community speedrunners on our official Twitch channel**.

🎉 **And Much More!** – From unique challenge events to surprise competitions, there's always something happening at **RapidRuns4Fun**. Stick around and be part of the action!

**Hell of an Office Discord:** [https://discord.com/invite/aPCh5SNsQR](https://discord.com/invite/aPCh5SNsQR)

Hell of an Office is a 3D precision platformer in first-person view that combines action and speedrunning as you try to escape HellO, the most infernal office in the (under)world! Be quick, use your stapler to rocket jump and dash. Can you escape before the lava catches up to you?

# **Ineligible Player List**

To keep this speedrun bounty fair and competitive for all participants, some players will not be eligible to compete due to their extensive experience with the game. This is **not** for any kind of **wrongdoing**, but rather a **recognition** of their **skill and dedication**, as they have already set a high bar for speedrunning in this community. For more details, visit the [RapidRuns4Fun Discord!](https://discord.gg/MVYRjgYAHW)

To the effected players, we appreciate your contributions and the high standards you’ve set. Thank you to these top-tier runners for being a crucial part of the speedrunning community! This decision allows more players to have a chance at competing while ensuring a balanced playing field. 

A **huge thank you** to our community member, **SpeedrunsSin** ([@SpeedrunsSin on Speedrun.com](https://www.speedrun.com/users/SpeedrunsSin)). Their **generous support** made this event possible, allowing us to bring this exciting competition to the community. We truly appreciate their contribution and dedication to the speedrunning scene! 🚀🎉

RapidRuns4Fun brings to you an exciting new speedrun bounty for the game Hell of an Office!
🥇 1st Place: $1,000🥈 2nd Place: $500🥉 3rd Place: $250
Including IL prizes up to an additional $500!

Hell of a Speedrun: $2,250 Up For Grabs!

Each shape has distinct strengths and weaknesses that you’ll need to master to navigate the game’s 20 levels. To succeed, you must switch between shapes strategically to overcome obstacles and complete each stage as quickly as possible.

Here are some things to know about speedruning this game:

### **Shape Switching**

Perfecting your shape-switching is the key to speedrunning TOTS. Each form - Square, Triangle, and Circle - has its own advantages, but knowing exactly *when* to switch is what separates casual players from the speedrunners. The faster you can execute these swaps, the smoother your run will be.

You can use the level selector after clicking the green flag to practice key sections and burn the best route into your muscle memory.

### **Worlds & Mechanics**

Each world introduces mechanics that add new twists to the gameplay and additional considerations for routing.

- **World 1** – A warm-up to get you familiar with the base mechanics
- **World 2** – Lava pits and saw blades mean instant death. The first boss, Professor Octagon, is also introduced
- **World 3** – Ice physics will test your control, mastering movement here is crucial
- **World 4** – A timer is introduced, forcing you to *move*. Hesitation isn’t an option. You’ll also face the games final boss, King Hexagon.

### **Professor Octagon**

Professor Octagon has three deadly attacks:

1. **Dash Attack** – A quick charge that punishes hesitation.
2. **STOP Attack** – The moment you see his STOP sign face, freeze. Any movement triggers an aggressive chase.
3. **Laser Attack** – A precise, dangerous beam. Dodge carefully.

🛠 **Speedrunner’s Strategy:** The key here is discipline. Spamming shots while dodging is crucial, but the STOP attack is what separates good runs from great ones. Stay perfectly still when he signals, then unleash your attacks at the right moment.

### **King Hexagon – A Deadly Puzzle to Solve Fast**

King Hexagon doesn't move, but his attacks still force you to react:

1. **Laser Attack** – A fairly predictable laser
2. **Hexagon Attack** – Mini hexagons swarm you. Keep moving, or they’ll box you in.
3. **Wall Attack** – A massive crushing wall appears after a red warning box. Be on the safe side before it drops.

🛠 **Speedrunner’s Strategy:** His attack cycle is your opportunity. Dodge, position yourself correctly, and fire away. If executed properly, you can melt his health bar before he even has a chance to reset the pattern.

I hope this get's you interested in Tale of the Three Shapes speedrunning!

The Tales of the Three Shapes is a puzzle-platformer Scratch game where you play as three unique characters - Square, Triangle, and Circle.

Scratch Speedrunning: The Tales of the Three Shapes

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone! I’m the **Main Organizer** for **No Glitches Allowed**, and I’m thrilled to announce that...

## 🎉**📢 Games & Volunteer Submissions for No Glitches Allowed 2025 ARE NOW OPEN!📢**🎉

## What is No Glitches Allowed?

**No Glitches Allowed** is *the* event of the year for **Glitchless** and **No Major Glitches** speedruns! But that’s not all - we also accept:

✅ **Races**

✅ **Randomizers**

✅ **Showcases**

✅ **Commentated TAS runs**

✅ **And so much more!**

## 🗓️ **Important Dates!** 🗓️

 **Speedrun and Volunteer Submissions Timeline:**

- **Opens:** Saturday, February 1, 2025 @ 10:00 AM
- **Closes:** Sunday, March 2, 2025 @ 11:59 PM

 **Event Dates:**

- **Starts:** Wednesday, April 23, 2025 @ 11:00 AM
- **Ends:** Sunday, April 27, 2025 @ 11:59 PM

*(Exact start times and daily schedule will depend on the volume of submissions.)*

🔗 **Submit here:** [Oengus Submission Link](https://oengus.io/marathon/noga2025/)

## **🙌 Volunteer With Us! 🙌** 

We are always in need of volunteers! We have positions available for all types of roles, so whether you'd like to get on the mic as a host, work behind the scenes in tech, or engage with folks through our social media, we have a spot available for you! We also have opportunities for you to shadow specific roles and get started in learning the ropes for certain positions. All experience levels are welcome, so if this is your first time volunteering for an event, we would love to have you!

🔗 **Apply here:** [Volunteer Application Link](https://forms.gle/SZqmqwbhvD9VMqJA6) (Descriptions of available roles can be found in the link)

## **🐾 Charity – Go Rescue Pet Adoption Center 🐾**

This year, No Glitches Allowed will support **Go Rescue Pet Adoption Center**, a **NO KILL** animal shelter in Norfolk, VA.

Since 2011, **GO Rescue** has provided a safe haven for homeless dogs, ensuring they receive the care and love needed to find **not just any home, but the right home.**

🔗 **Learn more:** [Go Rescue Website](https://www.gorescuedogs.com/)

## **💬 Join the Discord Server!**

🔗 [Discord Server Invite](https://discord.gg/WfcvgPv)

Let’s make **No Glitches Allowed 2025** the best one yet! 🎉

Announcing the opening of games and volunteer submissions for No Glitches Allowed 2025! No Glitches Allowed 2025 supports GO Rescue Pet Adoption Center located in Hampton, VA!

SUBMISSIONS OPEN for No Glitches Allowed 2025!!!

# What is the Mario Party Series Relay?

The Mario Party series speedrunners are uniting on **February 15th** to compete across 12 different Mario Party titles in a race to see which team can finish fastest. There are three teams this time around, abbreviated as A, B, and C but more formally known as Team :b, Team What If We Kissed on Bumper Balls, and Team Craziest Cutters! You can find an image below with the categories and names of everyone, but I will include their links at the bottom of this article as well.

![](/static/blob/7n63x44n.png)

Having said all that, let's get into the format of the relay a little bit! We are remote, so everyone can participate all over the world. We have participants from Japan, Europe, and North America, so we have a wide range of time zones to cover, which means it's a good thing **we have nearly 24 hours of speedrunning action planned**.

The planned start time for our opening ceremony is **5:45 AM EST/ 10:45 AM UTC/ 7:45 PM JST** with the first event, Mario Party Superstars All Minigames, starting 30 minutes later.

## So, what should viewers expect?

All three teams are required to provide video feed of their runs. Audio will switch between feeds, favoring feeds with minimal extra audio over the game's to provide a comfortable viewing experience. Each run has its own unique goals, some focus on doing many (or all!) Minigames and winning, while others may be trying to avoid playing any at all. Our commentators will be sure to explain what the specific win conditions are for each run, so whether you are an experienced veteran of Mario Party or you just play a game here or there with your friends, you will be able to follow along and enjoy the fast-paced action! (...and laugh when the luck doesn't go a runner's way.)

# Where to watch it live

The event will be live on our community speedrun channel, which can be found over at [https://www.twitch.tv/mariopartyspeedruns](https://www.twitch.tv/mariopartyspeedruns). As stated above, we'll be starting around 5:45 AM EST/ 10:45 AM UTC/ 7:45 PM JST with the relay beginning about 30 minutes later.

# All the participants channels - 

- Noops: [https://www.twitch.tv/aq_noops](https://www.twitch.tv/aq_noops "https://www.twitch.tv/aq_noops")
- Akuretaki: [https://www.twitch.tv/akuretaki](https://www.twitch.tv/akuretaki "https://www.twitch.tv/akuretaki")
- Dr. Cakenstein: [https://www.twitch.tv/drcakenstein](https://www.twitch.tv/drcakenstein "https://www.twitch.tv/drcakenstein")
- KellyKr22: [https://www.twitch.tv/kellykr22](https://www.twitch.tv/kellykr22 "https://www.twitch.tv/kellykr22")
- LCTaco: [https://www.twitch.tv/lctaco](https://www.twitch.tv/lctaco "https://www.twitch.tv/lctaco")
- DillPickel: [https://www.twitch.tv/dillpickel__](https://www.twitch.tv/dillpickel__ "https://www.twitch.tv/dillpickel__")
- Freezy Pop: [https://www.twitch.tv/freezypopfp](https://www.twitch.tv/freezypopfp "https://www.twitch.tv/freezypopfp") 
- KitsuneofDreams: [https://www.twitch.tv/kitsuneofdreams](https://www.twitch.tv/kitsuneofdreams "https://www.twitch.tv/kitsuneofdreams") 
- BleedingBlue11: [https://www.twitch.tv/bleedingblue11](https://www.twitch.tv/bleedingblue11 "https://www.twitch.tv/bleedingblue11") 
- quo: [https://www.twitch.tv/quoooo](https://www.twitch.tv/quoooo "https://www.twitch.tv/quoooo") 
- hahaPhD: [https://www.youtube.com/@hahaphdgaming](https://www.youtube.com/@hahaphdgaming "https://www.youtube.com/@hahaphdgaming") 
- infinigummy: [https://www.twitch.tv/infinigummy](https://www.twitch.tv/infinigummy "https://www.twitch.tv/infinigummy") 
- Kumanomi: [https://www.twitch.tv/kumanomi_0326](https://www.twitch.tv/kumanomi_0326 "https://www.twitch.tv/kumanomi_0326")
- SchniDog: [https://www.youtube.com/@SchniDog08](https://www.youtube.com/@SchniDog08 "https://www.youtube.com/@SchniDog08") 
- Teddy: [https://www.twitch.tv/Teddytank13](https://www.twitch.tv/Teddytank13 "https://www.twitch.tv/Teddytank13") 
- Yoshiphx: [https://www.twitch.tv/yoshiphoenix](https://www.twitch.tv/yoshiphoenix "https://www.twitch.tv/yoshiphoenix") 
- Apeduden: [https://www.twitch.tv/apeduden](https://www.twitch.tv/apeduden "https://www.twitch.tv/apeduden") 
- dalerben: [https://www.twitch.tv/dalerben61](https://www.twitch.tv/dalerben61 "https://www.twitch.tv/dalerben61") 
- Zachofhearts: [https://www.twitch.tv/zachofheartz](https://www.twitch.tv/zachofheartz "https://www.twitch.tv/zachofheartz")
- usprez: [https://www.twitch.tv/usprez72/](https://www.twitch.tv/usprez72/ "https://www.twitch.tv/usprez72/") 
- w3s4d3ad: [https://www.twitch.tv/w3s4d3ad](https://www.twitch.tv/w3s4d3ad "https://www.twitch.tv/w3s4d3ad") 
- KilledTheJoke: [https://www.twitch.tv/killedthejoke](https://www.twitch.tv/killedthejoke "https://www.twitch.tv/killedthejoke") 
- Mark G: [https://www.twitch.tv/markg_94](https://www.twitch.tv/markg_94 "https://www.twitch.tv/markg_94") 
- Herb5: [https://www.twitch.tv/theoriginal_herb5](https://www.twitch.tv/theoriginal_herb5 "https://www.twitch.tv/theoriginal_herb5")
- Kuusou: [https://www.twitch.tv/kuusoukanvas](https://www.twitch.tv/kuusoukanvas "https://www.twitch.tv/kuusoukanvas") 
- ello15: [https://www.twitch.tv/ello1515](https://www.twitch.tv/ello1515 "https://www.twitch.tv/ello1515") 
- hayate: [https://www.twitch.tv/reohayate2211](https://www.twitch.tv/reohayate2211)

- itstonyxp: [https://www.youtube.com/@TonySR2](https://www.youtube.com/@TonySR2 "https://www.youtube.com/@TonySR2")

- kidrocker: [https://www.twitch.tv/kidrocker96](https://www.twitch.tv/kidrocker96 "https://www.twitch.tv/kidrocker96") 
- jakeyjake: [https://www.twitch.tv/jakeyjakes99](https://www.twitch.tv/jakeyjakes99 "https://www.twitch.tv/jakeyjakes99") 
- kinghuckster: [https://www.twitch.tv/kinghuckstero_o](https://www.twitch.tv/kinghuckstero_o)
- SNRobi: [https://www.twitch.tv/snrobi](https://www.twitch.tv/snrobi "https://www.twitch.tv/snrobi") 
- SuperBlackGuy: [https://www.twitch.tv/dasuperblackguy](https://www.twitch.tv/dasuperblackguy "https://www.twitch.tv/dasuperblackguy") 
- Mythlogic928722: [https://www.twitch.tv/mythlogic92](https://www.twitch.tv/mythlogic92 "https://www.twitch.tv/mythlogic92") 
- Rigby: [https://www.twitch.tv/Rigby234](https://www.twitch.tv/Rigby234 "https://www.twitch.tv/Rigby234") 
- Rhin: [https://www.twitch.tv/RhinWoods](https://www.twitch.tv/RhinWoods "https://www.twitch.tv/RhinWoods")

Shoutouts to Noops for a large majority of the organizational work behind the scenes, with love to Rixa for the work on the channel and everyone else who volunteers to make these events happen. Our community is great and we'd love for you to come see the results of everyone's hard work!

The Mario Party Series Relay of 2025, bringing together old and new Mario Party games and players to fight the odds in a nearly 24-hour long event.

Mario Party Series Relay - 2025

# The Gold Split Newsletter - Week #30 - The Duality of Speed

The Gold Split offers a free, weekly digest of news from the world of speedrunning and beyond.

This **Story of the Week** is all about the recent RTA and IGT records in Super Metroid and was featured in this week's issue. The full post includes **more news**, briefly, as well as this week's top times. Check it out **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-30)**.

## ![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/wzxxw3qz.png)

# Story of the Week ✨

Out of the most iconic speedrunning games, **Super Metroid** might be the one I’m least familiar with. I didn’t grow up with consoles in general and was never curious enough to learn more beyond what the classic saving / killing the animals bid war at Games Done Quick events was about. But times have changed. I’m now writing a newsletter about speedrunning. Let’s dive in!

This week’s news is what prompted my newfound interest: in the Any% category, a new **RTA** record had been set and (independently) a new barrier in **IGT** had also been broken. Let’s learn together about the differences between the two, what constitutes them and why both are outstanding achievements.

## The different ways to achieve Any%

Any% is generally known to be the fastest way to beat a game. No restrictions* apply. But while Any% is a category, RTA and IGT are different ways of timing the playthrough and segmented runs also fall into this section.

**RTA** stands for real time attack, is the most common timing method and refers to the real-world time measured from start to finish, unwaveringly, regardless of loading screens, room transitions, dialogues, menus, lag or anything else that doesn’t mess with the natural flow of time.

**IGT** on the other hand stands for in-game time and is a game-specific timing method. This timer is only running when certain conditions that the developers set are met. Many games simply don’t measure this metric or don’t ever tell the player, so it doesn’t apply there. In the case of Super Metroid, the timer is stopped during the pause menu, room transitions, item fanfares and others.

Importantly, Super Metroid’s timer rounds up to the next full minute and doesn’t deal with seconds. The new RTA record set on January 31st clocks in at **40:22.010**, with an in-game time of **27:00**. Less than 24 hours after, the first run ever with an IGT of **26:00** was achieved. However, that run took **over 42 minutes** in real time - much longer than the new RTA record. Intuitively, one would expect that a faster run in RTA would also mean a faster IGT, but this isn’t always the case. Let’s have a brief look at both runs.

## RTA Timing

In [The Gold Split #26](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-26#%C2%A7story-of-the-week), @Kosmic predicted a new RTA Any% record for 2025 by somebody who has never held it before. In the last ten years, only three people have been at the top: @zoast, @Behemoth87 and @Oatsngoats.

On January 31st, @ShinyZeni set a new world record with a time of **40:22.010**, surpassing @Oatsngoats August 2023 record by almost 14 seconds - just as @Kosmic had predicted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGgzxe-MZWw

The current RTA route uses the fastest known path through the game: **PRKD**. This acronym describes the order in which four bosses are defeated: Phantoon → Ridley → Kraid → Draygon

The route prioritises minimising real-world time loss over almost anything else. This means:

- Skipping unnecessary items: this may result in riskier boss fights and more tricky movement.
- Minimising lag: particle effects can slow the game down. Conversely, strategically taking damage can cause a reduction in lag since then the game only renders Samus every other frame. Over the years many more micro-optimisations have been developed to combat lag.
- Fewer and faster room transitions: after entering a door, the game aligns them with the center of the screen before the next room is revealed. While not an issue for IGT timing, it’s possible to lose a lot of real time throughout the run if this isn’t done properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFdbW_UBB_Y

But even within these boundaries there is some room for nuanced decisions. Technically, at a minimum 15 missiles and 10 super missiles are necessary to finish the game. But if you choose that path and lose one or get unlucky with item drops, the run is basically lost. @ShinyZeni opts for a more conservative approach: 20 missiles and 10 super missiles. This loses a few seconds due to an additional item fanfare when picking up the missile pack, but makes up for it with more consistency and allows a more aggressive approach in the fight against Ridley.

@ShinyZeni now holds not only the Any% world record, but also stands at the top of the 100% and Reverse Boss Order categories. Improving on such a well-optimized record by such a significant margin has firmly cemented his place at the top of the game.

## IGT Timing

Back in January of 2019, @zoast became the first person to achieve a run with an in-game time of 27 minutes. In the years since, many others have matched this milestone. But on February 1st 2025, he broke the next barrier and achieved a run with an in-game time of **26 minutes** for the first time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1HRc-zpoKQ

We’ve already learned about optimisations for the RTA timing. But the in-game timer doesn’t always run and stops during room transitions, item pickup fanfares and slows down while the game is experiencing lag. Therefore, many of the techniques used to reduce real-world time losses just don’t apply for the IGT timing and additional Items may be picked up without a time penalty.

Instead of following the PRKD boss order, the IGT route uses **KPDR** (Kraid → Phantoon → Draygon → Ridley). Getting the Plasma Beam before the fight against Ridley saves around 30 seconds in IGT during the fight alone, but because of additional transitions and use of the menu it’s unfavourable for RTA runs. This trade-off is a recurring theme throughout the run. Both the route as well as the way the game is played end up significantly different.

Technically it’s possible to precisely measure IGT down to the exact frame by reading RAM values. This would avoid ties on the leaderboard, but is completely impractical for runners on original hardware.

## Conclusion

Super Metroid Any% is a perfect example of how speedruns with the same goal can evolve differently depending on the timing method used. The differences come down to route choices, risk management, and how each run optimises movement, item pickups, and lag reduction.

Want to get involved and learn more or try a run yourself? Check out:

- 📖** [Super Metroid Speedrunning Wiki](https://wiki.supermetroid.run/Main_Page)**
- 🎮** [Leaderboards & Runs](https://www.speedrun.com/supermetroid)**

![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/rz251jdz.png)

Thank you for reading! If you're curious about more of this week's news or would even consider subscribing to the newsletter, you'll find the full post over **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-30)**.

Finding new stories to cover can be challenging. I encourage you to think about what happened recently in the communities you are a part of. If there are any stories, articles, glitches, events, or other topics I should be taking a look at, go ahead and **[submit them here](https://forms.gle/F1VJ4PG68FTZKqn49)** or in the **[Gold Split Discord](https://discord.gg/SpbFCgsYkU)**! 📨

*| It depends on the game. Some might still impose rules on Any% in order to level the playing field and ensure a fair competition. Also, cheating generally isn’t allowed. Don’t cheat.

The Gold Split is a free weekly newsletter focused on speedrunning. This week's main story is all about the recent RTA and IGT records in Super Metroid.

The Duality of Speed - The Gold Split #30

Zuma's Revenge

Super Metroid

Multiple Wii Series Games

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Hell of an Office

Setting up the leaderbord! For now you can check out the game using the external link on top.



The Tale of the Three Shapes

Fatzke

SMMidi

1qpekp36

xwpw4y0l

NilssonAlex92

TheRealGRBow

VexGamingTV

KitsuneofDreams

LogictechobladeTIO

MiSide

Roblox: Isle 10

Lets discuss any relevant rules and any questions before we open the leaderboards