How Blue Prince Became the Most Unexpected Esport You Need to Watch
Blue Prince Turns Into a Surprisingly Intense Esport
Who would’ve thought that a single-player puzzle game like Blue Prince could become an edge-of-your-seat competitive esport? Well, it turns out it can, and it’s actually pretty thrilling to watch.
- Blue Prince featured at Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) as a competitive event
- Speedrunners Randringtail and BobbyBurm raced using a unique “B Quest Bingo” format
- Players had to complete objectives on a bingo board based on the game’s floorplan
- The competition involved quick thinking, strategy, and adapting to random elements
- Watch the full run on Games Done Quick’s YouTube channel (spoilers ahead!)
How Does a Puzzle Game Become an Esport?
Usually, when you think esports, fast-paced shooters or complex MOBAs come to mind. Blue Prince, a puzzle roguelike, isn’t the first game you’d expect to see in a competitive setting. But during this year’s Summer Games Done Quick event, speedrunners found a clever way to make it work.
Instead of a simple speedrun to the end, the players competed in a “B Quest Bingo” race. What’s that? Each runner received a bingo board modeled after Blue Prince’s floorplan grid. Every square had a different objective—things like unlocking the eastern gate or collecting five room upgrades.
They had 90 minutes and unlimited runs to check off as many objectives as possible. The goal? Be the first to complete a path connecting the entrance hall to the antechamber. It’s a fresh twist that turned the game into a battle of both speed and strategy.
A Brainy Battle Full of Surprises
Blue Prince is already a deep game, packed with hundreds of drafting nuances, room gimmicks, and secrets. Add resource management and a layer of randomness, and you get a seriously complex experience. Now imagine doing all that at lightning speed while chasing specific goals. That’s what made this competition so exciting.
The live crowd at SGDQ was hyped throughout the race, especially with the energetic commentary by Gelly. Watching the runners adapt on the fly felt like seeing grandmasters play speed chess in a storm.
If you want to check out this intense competition yourself, you can watch it on Games Done Quick’s YouTube channel. Fair warning: it contains spoilers and some secrets even longtime players might not know (like what you can do in the entrance hall!).
In the end, Blue Prince’s SGDQ debut proves that even puzzle roguelikes can offer nail-biting esports action when the right format is applied.
