On 2 March this year, WINGS Interactive announced a collaboration with games industry partners worldwide to form the GDC Relief Fund, in response to GDC’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
United in their drive to aid their industry peers, gamedev.world, Google, Facebook Gaming, Oculus from Facebook, Redbeet Interactive, Landfall Games, Raw Fury, AMD, Nordisk Film Games, Double Fine Productions and many more supported the GDC Relief Fund.
Created to help relieve the financial burden, lost time, and missed opportunities facing affected indie developers, the GDC Relief Fund has seen remarkable and generous support from games industry sponsors, raising a total of $291,311, of which $81,646 came from gamedev.world’s public fundraiser. The GDC Relief Fund, through WINGS Interactive, distributed $148,714 so far to 177 applicants, with an average payout of $697.59.
“Ever since the GDC Relief Fund has been set up I couldn’t stop telling everyone around me about how the indie game industry is the most we-stick-together and caring community I’m part of. For a studio as tiny as us that couldn’t even afford to send more than one person to GDC, having this money go down the sink would have been more dangerous than just a blow.” – Julia Jeanneret, Lead Designer at Naraven Games
Thanks to the sponsors’ overwhelming generosity, the extra funds raised will go towards ELEVATE 2020: GDC Relief Fund Accelerator. This program, run by Code Coven in collaboration with industry partners and subject matter experts, is a 15-week global online incubator for indie game developers impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting cancellations.
ELEVATE will offer development guidance, mentorship, community, events programming and milestone-based stipends for struggling indie game developers, providing them with meaningful progression on their game, business fundamentals and valuable industry connections. This program will help bring to market innovative work that might otherwise lack visibility. Interested developers can learn more about ELEVATE and register interest on this page.
The GDC Relief Fund was only made possible with support from:
WINGS Interactive, gamedev.world, Google, Facebook Gaming, Oculus from Facebook, Redbeet Interactive, Landfall Games, Raw Fury, AMD, Nordisk Film Games, Double Fine Productions, Modern Wolf, Warhorse Studios, 11 bit studios, Those Awesome Guys, Versus Evil, Xsolla, Dear Villagers, United Label, Assemble Entertainment, Triband, Head-High, Makers Fund, iam8bit, Synch, Limited Run, Intelligame, the Games and Online Harassment Hotline and Global Games Pitch.
About WINGS:
WINGS invests in indie games by women and diverse teams. Selection for investment is carried out by a committee of international women from diverse backgrounds with a proven track record in the games industry. https://wingsfund.me/
About Code Coven:
Code Coven was founded in 2018, with four principles at its heart (innovation, guidance, empowerment and experience), Code Coven goes beyond being just an online coding bootcamp – our aim is to nurture new and existing talent, create networking opportunities, help participants find employment and most importantly, work towards redressing the gender and diversity imbalance in the games industry.
About gamedev.world:
gamedev.world is the first truly global games conference, freely sharing the knowledge normally limited to expensive and exclusive games events through free, live-translated, online events available athttp://gamedev.world/.
About Google:
With tools that support game developers of all sizes across the game lifecycle and access to billions of users each day, Google helps you take your game to the next level. To find out the news and tips we planned to share at GDC, visit g.co/gamedevsummit
About Oculus from Facebook:
Oculus from Facebook enables people to defy distance—connecting with each other and the world—through world-class VR hardware and software. The Oculus suite of hardware currently includes: Rift S, an evolution of our high-end PC VR headset; Oculus Go, our first standalone headset, and Oculus Quest, our first fully immersive all-in-one headset to bring the magic of VR with you wherever you are—all powered by the Oculus platform. You can experience thousands of made-for-VR content titles on the Oculus platform, from AAA games to documentary films and immersive photography.
About Redbeet Interactive:
Redbeet Interactive is a small but talented and passionate studio dedicated to delivering great experiences to our fantastic community. Since successfully launching our first title Raft into Early Access, we are still building it into a game we can proudly call 1.0! If you are looking for a new adventure, we are always on the lookout for talented individuals, or if you have an amazing project you need funding for, we just might be the perfect fit!https://www.redbeetinteractive.com/
About Landfall Games:
Landfall Games is a game studio focusing on Gameplay and community interaction above all else. With both small development cycles and team size, they focus all of their efforts into creating games that are both fun to play and fun to develop.http://landfall.se/
About Raw Fury:
We publish games but there is more to it. Raw Fury is a passion project. We’re all about doing what makes us and the people we work with happy. We care about experiences and emotions. And we want to help developers make magic.https://rawfury.com/
About AMD:
For more than 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.
About Nordisk Film Games:
We make equity investments in the best development studios. The Nordic gaming industry has had tremendous success for many years now. We want to help fuel this growth further! We’re not a venture capital fund, and as such we’re not forced to exit our investments within a few years. Our agenda is aligned with the founders for the long run: build great games and successful companies. For more information visit https://www.nordiskfilmgames.com/
About Double Fine Productions:
Double Fine Productions is a San Francisco-based game developer, part of Xbox Game Studios, known for award-winning titles including Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Broken Age, RAD, and Remastered editions of Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle. Learn more about Double Fine at www.doublefine.com and on Twitter @DoubleFine.
About Modern Wolf:
Modern Wolf is a progressive publisher of video games, founded in 2019 by Fernando Rizo and Andreas Gschwari. Based in London, Modern Wolf works with game developers around the globe to bring you the weirdest and smartest indie games in the world.https://modernwolf.net/
About Warhorse Studios:
Warhorse Studios is a video-game developer founded in 2011 by a handful of intrepid Czech gaming industry veterans, now grown to a dedicated team of over 130 men and women. Their first title, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a gritty, medieval, combat-based RPG set in a realistic historic environment, was released on February 13, 2018 and met with an enthusiastic reception from both critics and players worldwide. Warhorse Studios is now a part of the leading video game publisher Koch Media/Deep Silver.www.warhorsestudios.cz
About 11 bit studios:
11 bit studios is a Warsaw-based team, BAFTA-nominee, IGF award winner, and winner of hundreds more. We are a collective of talented devs and skillful publishers reaching millions of hardcore gamers all driven by the creation of meaningful entertainment. We’re seeking experienced dev teams to form publishing partnerships with – teams with which we share an artistic sensibility, and the desire to create thought-provoking games while maintaining a smart business approach to the process. More at http://www.11bitstudios.com/
About Those Awesome Guys:
Founded by Nicolae (Xelu) Berbece, THOSE AWESOME GUYS is a small video game developing and publishing “studio” formed out of people from around the world with the purpose of being the developers and publishers we’d support as gamers.www.thoseawesomeguys.com
About Versus Evil:
Founded in 2013, Versus Evil is the US based video game publisher behind critically acclaimed video games Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and The Banner Saga trilogy. Publishing games on all major mobile, PC and console platforms, Versus Evil works with independent development studios from around the world. Most recent titles include RPG – collectible card game adventure hybrid Cardpocalypse, Yaga the role-playing folktale, and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The corporate philosophy is to champion independent games and the developers behind them. For more information visithttps://versusevil.com
About Xsolla:
Xsolla is the video game business engine with a set of tools and services that helps clients operate and sell more games globally. Serving only the video game industry, the Xsolla product suite caters to businesses from indie to enterprise, with: Xsolla Pay Station and its #1 Anti-fraud solution, Xsolla Partner Network, Xsolla Site Builder, Xsolla Store, Xsolla Login, and Xsolla Launcher. These tools work seamlessly to solve the complexities of distribution, marketing, and monetization so developers, publishers, and platform partners can increase their audience, sales and revenue. Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices worldwide, Xsolla operates as a merchant and seller of record for major gaming entities like Valve, Twitch, Ubisoft, Epic Games, and PUBG Corporation. For more information, visitwww.xsolla.com
About Dear Villagers:
Dear Villagers is Plug In Digital’s publishing label. It’s a warm-hearted invitation to join us in the little unusual neighborhood we are building within the gaming industry, a place where talented studios can unleash their creativity and where players enjoy distinctive and audacious games on PC and consoles, such as Edge of Eternity, ScourgeBringer, or Recompile. For more information visit http://www.dearvillagers.com
About United Label:
United Label is uniting innovative game creators from all around the globe. We strive to make any developer who joins United Label an integral part of the collective, fostering day-to-day support and growth. We want to create trustful long-term relationships with high rewarding returns. This all begins with four talented studios: Fallen Flag Studios, Lunaris Iris, Odd Bug Studios, and Polygon Treehouse. Our objective is to work with both highly experienced team and passionate upstarts, offering them a publishing structure for success. For more information about United Label Games, please visitwww.unitedlabelgames.com
About Assemble Entertainment:
Assemble Entertainment, founded by former co-founder and CEO of Kalypso Media Group Stefan Marcinek, is an independent games publisher, developer & organizer of the GDD – GermanDevDays, an annual german speaking games developer conference with 1100 visitors. Find out more at www.facebook.com/assembleteam
About Triband:
Makers of WHAT THE GOLF?, silly puns and bad jokes. Hanging out in Denmark, also we’re hiring:http://triband.net/hiring
About Head-High:
Head-High Co., Ltd. is a developer relations team for game dev tools and middleware for the Japanese market. We manage the games media website IndieGameJp.dev, providing news and guides for Japanese indie game creators: https://indiegamesjp.dev/
We also own the indie studio Throw the Warped Code Out, known for the PS1-inspired game ‘Back in 1995’. We are currently developing a 4-player multiplayer game in partnership with Genvid’s next-gen Twitch video streaming system. https://head-high.com/
About Makers Fund:
A venture capital fund created to support founders by combining deep industry experience with multi-stage investment across Seed to Series B, Makers is dedicated to furthering growth and innovation in the global interactive entertainment industry.https://makersfund.com/
About iam8bit:
Founded in 2005 and celebrating its 15 year anniversary, iam8bit is a creative production emporium that has quietly redefined the entertainment industry, time and time again. Collaborating with a plethora of partners and narrative-busting IPs, iam8bit punctuates the importance of engaging with fans directly. By creating the videogame industry’s very first community events, the company injected the idea of experiential immersion into game and film marketing (back when it was simply known as “theatre”). iam8bit also played a crucial role in the vinyl renaissance, minting its first record in 2010. The company is based in Los Angeles and co-owned by Jon M. Gibson and Amanda White.
About Synch:
A law firm that provides full-service assistance for the game industry. Scandinavian style and innovative solutions; working with us is like having your own lawyer. Our offices are located in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Palo Alto. Also, take a look at our self-service platform: https://gaming.agreements.dk/home.
About Limited Run:
Limited Run Games is a Raleigh-based publisher founded in 2015 that focuses on preserving games in a physical format. Publishing over 300 games in its lifetime and winning awards for its bespoke Collector’s Editions, Limited Run is the gold standard in bringing digital-only games to physical form for casual fans and collectors alike. Visit limitedrungames.com for the latest offerings, or follow the brand on your social media platform of choice for all LRG-related updates: @limitedrungames.
About Intelligame:
Intelligame is a game culture site helping players connect games and the real world. Founded in 2015 and run by Josh Boykin, Intelligame focuses on discussions of narrative, cultural representation, social justice, and more. Focusing on creating a space for diverse voices and perspectives, Intelligame builds its community through livestreams, podcasts, written articles, a monthly game club, and more. We create a space where everyone can learn, share, and grow with others while talking about the games they love. http://intelligame.us
About the Games and Online Harassment Hotline:
The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline. Whether you’re a player, a developer, a streamer, a competitor — any part of the games community — we’re here for you. Text “SUPPORT” to 23368 from anywhere in the USA to chat with a trained hotline agent.gameshotline.org
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