The game industry hardship fund, a $10 bundle that collects over 100 games, surpassed its initial goal of $100,000 in its first four days. Now, at over $130,000, it’s sitting at 64 percent out of the way of surpassing its new goal of $200,000.
The bundle is hosted by Necrosoft Games of Demonschool fame in response to the “unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year,” as announced by director Brandon Sheffield last week. At the time of writing, almost 10,000 people have purchased the bundle.
The funds are distributed by the United Videogame Workers union, bolstering the original fund launched back in early July. Said fund has two application streams for developers in need of financial assistance, one of which also considers workers who haven’t been laid off: a small funds tier for requests under $1,000 and a major expenses tier for requests between $1,000 and $5,000.
Layoffs and studio closures continue rampant in the industry. In the last week alone, the Tencent-owned studio Lightspeed laid off 68 workers from its LA office, while Delphi Interactive reportedly shuttered FIFA World Cup developer Refactor Games. Meanwhile, Psychonauts maker Double Fine laid off 23 staff members after regaining its independence from Microsoft.
The parent company and tech giant confirmed it was severing ties with Double Fine and other studios at the beginning of July as part of what it described as the “most significant restructure in Xbox history,” outlining plans to eliminate 3,200 roles across its video game division by the end of the current fiscal year.
Industry professionals looking to support their peers in such hard times can learn more about the bundle here.