Indies devs band together for 100-game, $10 bundle aiming to help an "unprecedented number" of laid off developers

Indie game makers have banded together to organize a $10 bundle containing well over 100 video games and other goodies, all in an effort to support the "unprecedented number" of developers who have suffered from layoffs this year. Necrosoft Games (the indie studio behind the effortlessly cool Persona-like RPG Demonschool) has been spearheading the launch of the new bundle that's aiming to help laid off devs while they find new work. "In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by United Videogame Workers," Necrosoft director Brandon Sheffield writes on social media. In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by @videogameworkers.bsky.social. More than 100 games for 10+ bucks! Please share widely and donate generously!itch.io/b/3802/game-...— @brandon.insertcredit.com (@brandon.insertcredit.com.bsky.social) 2026-07-31T11:09:29.563Z "All money, minus processing fees for itch, goes to out of work game developers to pay for food, housing, healthcare, and whatever they need to make it through," Sheffield explains. "Neither we as the organizers nor UVW take any of the money from the bundle." Affected game developers in the US and Canada can apply for the fund here. Right now, it's open to devs who have been impacted by sweeping game industry layoffs from January 2024 to the present. Whether you were laid off from an AAA studio or an indie, whether you were a contractor or a full-time veteran, you could be eligible. The Itch.io bundle itself is absolutely packed to the brim with gems. The package includes 107 video games, eight physical games, six packs of game assets, three soundtracks, and more. Altogether, they'd usually be worth around $1,023, making this a steal. Some real bangers are also a part of the line up. Mini-open-world explorathon A Short Hike, world-manipulating puzzler Arranger, feathered Tony Hawk-alike Skatebird, and low-poly horror platformer The Sirena Expedition are definitely highlights, but there's all sorts of hidden gems hiding in a list this vast, no matter if you're into queer dating sims, twin-stick shooters, bullet hell shooters and beyond. It's a worthy cause, too. At the start of the year, it was reported that roughly one third of game industry developers had suffered from layoffs, and things haven't gotten less dire since then. Xbox recently laid off about 1,600 workers from its gaming division with another 1,600 layoffs planned, Bungie cut most of its Destiny 2 team after giving the game its final update, and even Fortnite's Epic Games shed 1,000 workers a few months back. Cyberpunk 2 lead says "some days I feel our industry is imploding" as Destiny 2 studio Bungie is hit with mass layoffs: "Teams and game projects are getting slaughtered." [/url]

Jul 31, 2026 - 19:23

Indies devs band together for 100-game, $10 bundle aiming to help an "unprecedented number" of laid off developers

Indie game makers have banded together to organize a $10 bundle containing well over 100 video games and other goodies, all in an effort to support the "unprecedented number" of developers who have suffered from layoffs this year.

Necrosoft Games (the indie studio behind the effortlessly cool Persona-like RPG Demonschool) has been spearheading the launch of the new bundle that's aiming to help laid off devs while they find new work.

"In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by United Videogame Workers," Necrosoft director Brandon Sheffield writes on social media.

In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by @videogameworkers.bsky.social. More than 100 games for 10+ bucks! Please share widely and donate generously!itch.io/b/3802/game-...

— @brandon.insertcredit.com (@brandon.insertcredit.com.bsky.social) 2026-07-31T11:09:29.563Z "All money, minus processing fees for itch, goes to out of work game developers to pay for food, housing, healthcare, and whatever they need to make it through," Sheffield explains. "Neither we as the organizers nor UVW take any of the money from the bundle."

Affected game developers in the US and Canada can apply for the fund here. Right now, it's open to devs who have been impacted by sweeping game industry layoffs from January 2024 to the present. Whether you were laid off from an AAA studio or an indie, whether you were a contractor or a full-time veteran, you could be eligible.

The Itch.io bundle itself is absolutely packed to the brim with gems. The package includes 107 video games, eight physical games, six packs of game assets, three soundtracks, and more. Altogether, they'd usually be worth around $1,023, making this a steal.

Some real bangers are also a part of the line up. Mini-open-world explorathon A Short Hike, world-manipulating puzzler Arranger, feathered Tony Hawk-alike Skatebird, and low-poly horror platformer The Sirena Expedition are definitely highlights, but there's all sorts of hidden gems hiding in a list this vast, no matter if you're into queer dating sims, twin-stick shooters, bullet hell shooters and beyond.

It's a worthy cause, too. At the start of the year, it was reported that roughly one third of game industry developers had suffered from layoffs, and things haven't gotten less dire since then. Xbox recently laid off about 1,600 workers from its gaming division with another 1,600 layoffs planned, Bungie cut most of its Destiny 2 team after giving the game its final update, and even Fortnite's Epic Games shed 1,000 workers a few months back.

Cyberpunk 2 lead says "some days I feel our industry is imploding" as Destiny 2 studio Bungie is hit with mass layoffs: "Teams and game projects are getting slaughtered."

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