They actually did it! After five days, over 105 hours, and 42 deaths, two of the internet’s biggest livestreamers—Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed—have finally put Minecraft to rest. Congrats, boys, y’all really did the damn thing.
Following a successful joint stream in late July, when the two linked up to play the challenging 3D platformer Chained Together while literally chained together, Kai and Speed announced on August 14 that they’d join forces once again. This time, they planned to marathon-run Hardcore Minecraft, an alternate version of Mojang Studios’ blocky exploration game with a permadeath mode (in which you must start all over once you die). Beginning on August 17, the two made it clear that they wouldn’t stop playing until they beat the game. But it wasn’t easy.
Things started off simply enough, with Kai and Speed gathering food and fighting Creepers (walking bombs) before their streams devolved into chaos. With Kai on Twitch and Speed on YouTube—though both physically in Kai’s $17 million NYC mansion—the pair started breaking down after the first few deaths. Kai’s internet was broken. Speed’s voice was shot. The two argued so much that Speed punched a hole in Kai’s wall. Things spiraled to the point that a purported therapist had to come through to keep them motivated. I guess that therapist really motivated them, though, because through the struggle, Kai and Speed persevered.
All the while, the internet had a ball with this marathon run, making memes and betting on whether they’d ever beat the game. Two other streamers, FaZe Clan’s Lacy and StableRonaldo, even got in on the jokes and beat Hardcore Minecraft before Kai and Speed did. Twice. (The second time, StableRonaldo finished the game with YouTuber JasontheWeenie). Despite being depressed by the fact that StableRonaldo completed the game long before they could, Kai and Speed kept marathoning it until, on August 22, they actually fulfilled their quest and rolled Minecraft‘s credits.
The final moments of their stream were quite tense. Facing off against the big bad herself—the Ender Dragon located in Minecraft’s The End— Kai and Speed ducked and dodged the Endermen and Shulkers loitering around the place. They fired arrows, munched on some grub to maintain their hearts, and played calmly, which resulted in a battle that lasted approximately 15 minutes, culminating when Kai sent the death arrow into the Ender Dragon’s belly. The victory was sweet, the pop off was satisfying, and our boys celebrated by destroying their setup and getting fresh air. I’ve never been more hyped for something as much as I was for this W. Seriously, it was dope.
At present, it’s unclear what’s next for IShowSpeed, but we do know Kai’s next game: He announced in early August that, after finishing developer FromSoftware’s action-RPG Bloodborne, he’d marathon the studio’s action-adventure game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice next. Both are games I’m still stuck on, but if Kai can beat Bloodborne, then it’s likely he’ll beat Sekiro, too. Still, I wish him luck! As for their next stream, I suggest they play Ghost Town Games’ cooking sim Overcooked. Nothing will go wrong there.
