Annual indie celebration Day of the Devs has officially become a fully independent nonprofit, it announced today.
Day of the Devs was begun as a collaboration between Double Fine and iam8bit in 2012, starting out as an annual San Francisco-based festival that showcased a number of curated independent games to the press, fellow developers, and members of the public. The festival continued following the Xbox acquisition of Double Fine in 2019 and the gradual dissolution of Double Fine's publishing label, and went virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic before returning in 2022 and adding additional events.
Now, Day of the Devs will function as a fully independent 501c3 nonprofit in partnership with Legacy Global, and is launching its first fundraising campaign on FundraiseUP today. Funds collected will go toward support venue fees, equipment, staffing, video production and overall operating costs, and donors can receive a number of prizes for their contributions, including game keys and physical goods.
"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 is now planning multiple events throughout the year, beginning with a showcase in San Francisco in March, a Summer Game Fest showcase in June, and a Game Awards showcase in December. The San Francisco showcase will take place on March 18 and will be a ticketed event, with an additional and separate event for Game Developers Conference attendees during conference hours that week.
Last year's Day of the Devs digital showcases included a number of standout indie games, including Beastieball, Viewfinder, and Cocoon at Summer Game Fest, and Militsioner, Kind Words 2, Loose Leaf, Open Roads, and Home Safety Hotline in December.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
