In an effort to provide relief to developers left in the lurch after the Game Developers Conference was postponed late last month, gamedev.world has partnered with several studios to release a massive video game bundle via itch.io, the proceeds of which will go towards a fund established to support affected developers.
There’s a ton of great stuff in the GDC Relief Bundle. Nuclear Throne is an excellent roguelike full of unique characters. Catlateral Damage allows you to live out your darkest feline fantasies in making a complete mess of your owner’s home. A Mortician’s Tale tells a “death positive” story by putting you in charge of embalming and cremating the bodies of the dearly departed ahead of their funerals. Codemancer combines learning programming skills with a fantasy setting.
But the bundle has more than just games. The GDC Relief Bundle also includes demos, in-progress projects, and even graphic and sound assets for those looking to make their own games. All of this has been made available at a “pay what you want” price point to allow people to be generous if they have the means.
GDC’s absence has left several independent developers on the hook for non-refundable travel fees and unable to take advantage of the networking opportunities the annual industry event typically provides. As such, gamedev.world has spent the last few days raising money through a series of presentations, musical performances, and even Jackbox shenanigans, all broadcasted live on Twitch. Donations are being collected for a general fund set up by WINGS Interactive, through which developers can apply for relief.
According to Rami Ismail, co-founder of Dutch video game studio Vlambeer and director at gamedev.world, the organization is close to hitting $40,000 in just a few days. The GDC Relief Bundle will be online until April 3.