Don't forget to register for Vector Narrative Games! Registration link available at www.vectorconf.com Vector Narrative Games Festival September 19th, 2026 10am-4pm Lexington Public Library - Central

We keep saying it again and again: Democratic co-ownership of game studios by the workers (worker co-ops) is THE way forward for the industry. Unionization, in conjunction with co-ownership, is important as well. Something's got to give! Publishers/executives should NOT own studios.

☀️@stel.energy · 2d ago

i want games made by people who get to keep their jobs

This week’s #Primrows weekly challenge is Through The Pavement! Asphalt tiles keep you from pruning flowers, which makes this a great challenge for learning to spot new patterns and not just rely on your favorites. Try it this week at: linktr.ee/tursiops #indieDev @tursiopsstudios.bsky.social

We spoke with game trailer editors to learn how generative AI is impacting their field and how it fails to capture the quality they deliver.

Game Trailer Editors Describe Generative AI As Poison

Skilled game trailer editors explain why using generative AI in this creative process is a mistake.

slythergames.com

Fiddling around with something ;) #playdate #indiedev #gamdev

This is amazing to hear! More companies (especially gaming hardware companies) should be doing this and we should be shouting it from the rooftops when they do! We knew we liked Playdate for a reason (it's the crank, but this is rad too)

Nicole Carpenter@nicolecarpenter.bsky.social · last wk.

"It's just not our money to keep, and it felt really good to give it back," Panic co-founder Caleb Sasser said. "That's an easy way to know you made the right decision."

"It's just not our money to keep, and it felt really good to give it back," Panic co-founder Caleb Sasser said. "That's an easy way to know you made the right decision."

Playdate maker Panic is refunding tariff fees to customers

Panic is refunding customers who purchased a Playdate device and paid a 19 percent fee imposed by the now-rescinded US tariffs.

gamedeveloper.com

You know what's pretty cool? Magfest actively bans genAI from both their market area AND their Indie Games Showcase. (Presumably other places too but this example is pointed) Pretty neat.

Brand new #Primrows challenge this week: Prune With Care! This is a fun strategic variant where instead of limited water and unlimited pruning, it flips the formula you can only prune 12 flowers but have unlimited water. Try it all week: linktr.ee/tursiops #indieDev #diceGame #sudokuVariants

Commission for @scooblee.bsky.social! What if Arle puyo in Petal Crash?? I did my best to try and make this one like how I'd do it if I got to put Arle in Petal Crash for real...

It is really difficult to express how out of touch these people are. We're so tired. So, so tired. This is the exact kind of thing we're fighting against. #gamedev #indiedev

GamesIndustry.biz@gibiz.bsky.social · 2w ago

Three Epic veterans are building an AI-powered game engine to break the industry's doom cycle. Amid mounting discontent with Unity and Unreal, Immens promises lower costs and faster development for small teams. https://bit.ly/4xRY14m

My guys. The industry's in a doom cycle largely BECAUSE OF AI. Who the hell hell is sitting around thinking "Hmm, the industry's in the shitter because of the overwhelming amount of slop, I know what'll fix this! AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF SLOP!"

Dr Bees Thinking

ALT: Dr Bees Thinking

static.klipy.com

GamesIndustry.biz@gibiz.bsky.social · 2w ago

Three Epic veterans are building an AI-powered game engine to break the industry's doom cycle. Amid mounting discontent with Unity and Unreal, Immens promises lower costs and faster development for small teams. https://bit.ly/4xRY14m

I just want to share the funniest possible update to this, which is: a full two years later Saber finally revoked my Steam key for this game today

Stella Sacco@antlervel.vet · 3w ago

Saber finally added the AI disclosure to Steam for Rideshare “Stimulator” and it’s even worse than I said it was. I can see why the CEO crashed out when I pointed it out.

We're excited to announce that applications are open for the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant 2026 🎉 The grant will award $15,000 to five thinky puzzle game developers from all over the world, and a year's mentorship with genre veterans. Deadline: September 27th More info 👇

We're in the final stretch! Just 13 hours left! For just $10 you'll get our game Primrows, you'll get hits like A Short Hike, classics like They Bleed Pixels and Cook, Serve, Delicious!, new releases like Arranger and Dirtbag Mahjong and still over 100 more titles to discover!

Brandon Sheffield@brandon.insertcredit.com · last mo.

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-...

New #Primrows weekly challenge: Love Triangle! This one adds the match-friendly heartflowers to the difficult pyramid board. Can you help them find happiness? Still 3 days left to get this and 100+ games as part of the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle: itch.io/b/3802/game-... #indieDev

Happy to write a whole essay on @softnotweak.bsky.social's Spirit Swap! It's now one of my favorite indie games b/c of how it let its LGBTQ+ cast be emotionally vulnerable while learning to take care of themselves and each other.

Mothership@mothership.blog · 4w ago

It’s @wordsfromapenn.com back today with a look at Soft Not Weak’s Spirit Swap, which paints queerness as, well, soft, but not weak.

There’s still time to get our game Primrows and over 100 other great games in the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io! We’ve already raised over $160k for game workers affected by recent layoffs, let’s get to $200k! itch.io/b/3802/game-...

Brandon Sheffield@brandon.insertcredit.com · last mo.

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-...

Daaaamn. “AI is the asbestos we're shovelling into the walls of our technological society. Our descendants will spend generations digging it out again, and the longer the bubble goes on without popping, the longer it will take to repair the damage." www.thenerve.news/p/cory-docto...

Cory Doctorow: The people who tell you ‘AI is changing everything’ are lying

It has become impossible to tell managers mesmerised by artificial intelligence that the tools are not, in fact, helpful. So employees just play along with the fiction to keep their jobs, writes our t...

thenerve.news

I pressed the publish button on this just now!

PUNKCAKE Délicieux 🥞@punkcake.club · 4w ago

🗞 New public post on the Patreon! 🐝 We're still alive! We've got a new free game, Bees Wax, and we're working on a couple other things! patreon.com/punkcake/posts/new-free-game-165829858

🔥COLLAPSUS 0.16.12 - THE LONG HOTFIX 🔥 We're back with WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more quality of life changes and bug fixes, just for you! Available for download RIGHT NOW at wraithgames.itch.io/collapsus for PC and Android! --- #indiedev #indiegames

Enjoy 127 items by 109 creators and support game devs effected by recent layoffs: itch.io/b/3802/game-...

Just to be clear on this article, the position I took isn't "developers need to be more brave" but "funding needs to be more brave". Developers make all the cool stuff, just because they want to - the funding side hits it with market research and fear and growth targets and shareholders.

GamesRadar+@gamesradarplus.bsky.social · last mo.

We need games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Balatro, and Peak as a cure for the "fear" in the industry, say experts www.gamesradar.com/games/we-nee...

If you're looking for a direct way to help laid-off devs, check this out https://kotaku.com/itchio-game-developer-hardship-bundle-necrosoft-games-layoffs-unionization-2000720782

Game Devs Put Together An Itch.io Bundle Of Over 100 Games With Proceeds Going To Help Laid-Off Colleagues - Kotaku

The Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle contains over 100 games and will be on sale for the next two weeks

kotaku.com

Here's all my shots for @alexmana.bsky.social's Wind Waker Recap video!!! I had a TON of fun figuring how to recreate some of og Wind Waker's visual quirks natively in Blender ✨🌊

Alexmana@alexmana.bsky.social · last mo.

NEW ALEXMANA VIDEO! A Badly Explained Recap of Wind Waker (part 1) Out now on YouTube! youtu.be/HkYI3HlahPY

This feels like a sea change for the good! With Unreal & Unity showing BOTH anti-consumer AND pro-AI stances, Godot repeatedly shows a "pro-human" ethos. We believe that FOSS is a major part of a better industry right alongside unions, worker-owned studios, & the Stop Killing Games movement!

Game Maker's Toolkit@gamemakerstoolkit.com · last mo.

Well, it finally happened! After 9 years of Unity dominance, Godot was the most used game engine for GMTK Game Jam 2026 submissions. 🤖 Godot - 47% 🎮 Unity - 34% 🛠️GameMaker - 5% 🚀 Unreal Engine - 3% ✨ Other - 11%

I made a bee game in 36 hours for DTJ36! 🐝 It's called... Bees Wax! (lol) 🧱 Place pieces of honeycomb 🐝 Get bees! 🌷 Place exits for the bees to get pollen 🍯 Honey!! Check it out here: lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=158322 Or find it directly in Pico-8 by running "load #beeswax"!

Development update

a lineup so crazy, i made a new flyer for it! this is probably the most excited i've been for a stream this year - we not only have a new crop of july indie releases, but fresh indie animation and a refreshed playlist, too! come see why aqualounge is called twitch meets mtv!

aqualounge.tv@aqualounge.tv · last mo.

an indie summer so big, we're making it a party! in with the new. 🌊 aqualounge.tv BIG WAVE indie showcase #1 🏄‍♂️ 👁️ GAMES+MUSIC+ANIMATION 🎧 ⚠️ TUNE IN LIVE SUN 7.26 @ 7pm EST ⚠️ 🎮 games ft. ANGEL ESSENCE NOPHENIA JENNY THE WITCH DENSHATTACK! 🎬 animation ft. BUNNYMUTT BRALWER'S WORLD 💿 FRESH TRACKS

He's only gone and written 2,500 more words about how game devs feel about generative AI. Latest piece quotes around two dozen different people with an indie background. When asked how they feel about gen AI, not one, but two devs responded, "Fuck that shit." www.gamesradar.com/games/it-cre...

"It creates lesser games": Indie game studios are supposed to love generative AI, so why do the 25 devs I spoke to avoid it?

"So it may be slightly faster, and a lot worse, but it's also more expensive? Neat"

gamesradar.com

Austin Wood@woodwould.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I spent the last few months talking to over 30 game developers about generative AI. It began as a sort of interview survey but became a pretty comprehensive collection of arguments against the technology altogether. www.gamesradar.com/games/why-so...