Day of the Devs was established in 2012 by Double Fine Productions and iam8bit as a way to give back to their supportive communities by celebrating the creativity, diversity and magic of video games, give voice to emerging or underrepresented talent, and to connect players with developers, and their games. Now, the company has announced that they are now a fully independent 501c3 non-profit and have launched a fundraising campaign on FundraiseUP to support their efforts in spotlighting unique and magical video games and the developers who make them – all completely free, with no costs to either developers or event attendees.
“It’s a whole new day for Day of the Devs,” said Tim Schafer, co-founder of Day of the Devs. “It’s extremely gratifying to see this show become as fully independent as the amazing indie games it has always centered around.”
Day of the Devs’ transition into a non-profit, made possible through a fiscal partnership with Legacy Global, will make fundraising efforts more transparent and public, help sponsors and the community understand how critical their support truly is, and solidify the commitment to being 100% platform agnostic. With the funds raised, Day of the Devs will support venue fees, equipment, staffing, video production and overall operating costs.
Those who choose to donate can receive a variety of gifts, including game keys from developers and publishers: Double Fine Productions, iam8Bit, Enhance, Night School Studio, Capybara Games, Sabotage Studio, Tribute Games and more. Fans can also get VIP tickets to events and physical goods.
In addition to its reveal of going fully independent, Day of the Devs has revealed its initial calendar for 2024. This includes Day of the Devs: San Francisco in March, Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition in June, and the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition in December.
Day of the Devs: San Francisco will feature an in-person event taking place on Sunday, March 17 at The Midway. Submissions for developers are now open. Day of the Devs is looking for unique, diverse and beautiful games to spotlight. Developers from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply and games/projects of all types and genres will be considered. Day of the Devs is completely free to participating developers, giving games a major platform without a financial barrier to entry.
Day of the Devs will have more, special events throughout March. Monday, March 18, fans can check out the Day of the Devs Showcase: SFMOMA Edition. This is a ticketed event. There will also be a separate Day of the Devs: GDC Edition showcase during the conference hours that those attending GDC can check out.