According to the statement by Wings co-founder Cassia Curran, the GDC Relief Fund has already raised over $76,500. From the rising total of contributions, Wings say that the GDC Relief Fund will distribute funds based on need. “Supported developers will be selected according to the estimated impact of the postponement on their organisations and the financial hardship they are experiencing,” their statement says. “Beyond the initial financial costs, GDC being postponed means missed opportunities for indie developers hoping to pitch their games. Wings Interactive and certain fund partners are also offering online and distance meetings and pitch sessions.” Beyond initial fundraising efforts, Gamedev.world are also hosting a fundraising week from March 27 - April 3. “For the duration of the week, we will present—for free, live-translated, and online—various talks from both marginalised developers and the sponsors that made the event possible,” they say. Funds raised will be added to the GDC Relief Fund. They will also be hosting a game jam in collaboration with Itch.io, proceeds from which will benefit the GDC Relief Fund. GDC organisers say they will reschedule the conference for “later in the summer” but additional details are not yet available. Other events have also been impacted by concern over the spread of COVID-19 but as yet E3 is going ahead as planned. Granted, GDC said the same just days before it was postponed. Header image is from GDC. It’s cropped, resized, and used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.
