Note about Steam & other keys: In order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to contribute, keys for third-party platforms will not be available for repeat buyers and will only be available for payments at or above $10.

Dear friend, developer, or supporter,

Over the past month and a half, developers around the world have been unexpectedly and severely affected by the cancellation of GDC and other effects of the ongoing global crisis. Some of these developers have been left stranded abroad in expensive circumstances, in thousands of dollars in debt from non-refundable fees, or without any options to continue pursuing their passion in game development due to lost business opportunities.

The gamedev.world team has worked these past few weeks to help developers return home, negotiate refunds, and figure out temporary lodging, but right now financial support is one of those urgent needs faced by developers around the world that we cannot help alleviate without your support.

To that end, we’re launching not one, but multiple community-gathering initiatives to benefit the The GDC Relief Fund spearheaded by WINGS Interactive, which provides financial aid to developers impacted in loss of funds and business opportunity by the cancellation of the Game Developers Conference.

This GDC Relief bundle will be available from Monday the 30th of March, to the 3rd of April. Generous game developers have donated their games, both commercial and experimental, paid and non-commercial, but also assets, art, music, code, and prototypes to this fund-raiser bundle, powered by itch.io. Also included are a number of games created during the course of our recent #reliefjam! Pay what you like, get some lovely games or tools to make games of your own, and benefit developers in need.

The live-fundraiser takes place on Twitch from March 30th to April 1st. As we felt a full lineup of formal talks (as you might expect from us) would not add much in these confusing times, so instead we’re offering a collection of cozy, intimate chats, presentations, performances, and game streams. There will be more casual audience interaction than before - just like joining talented developer friends of gamedev.world in their living room. Think games conference meets chill livestream. You can click here to see the full schedule for the event.

We hope you’ll join us! But whether you’re able to participate in any of the above, help spread the word by retweeting @gamedevworld, watch the livestream event at gamedev.world/donate, or reach out and support developers and each other however you might, we thank you. And thank you for your interest in and support of gamedev.world. 

Sincerely,
The gamedev.world team