Why it matters: The video game industry has seen a historic wave of layoffs in recent years, with thousands of workers impacted in the last few weeks alone. To support some of the developers affected, indie game storefront itch.io is collaborating with an industry union to sell a collection of over 100 heavily discounted games.
The Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle is live on itch.io through August 13. The collection currently includes more than 100 indie titles, along with a few soundtracks, assets, and other materials, all for just $10.
All proceeds go toward the Game Industry Hardship Fund, which the United Videogame Workers union has promoted amid repeated massive rounds of layoffs throughout the industry. US and Canada-based developers can add more games to the bundle, so it will likely keep growing over the next couple of weeks. Customers can download any games added after their purchase at no additional cost.
The bundle mostly consists of small indie titles, but it also includes a few gems with positive Steam ratings. Examples include A Short Hike (MSRP: $8), Dungeon Bodega Simulator ($10), Eldritch ($15), Neon Struct ($18), Holedown ($10), and more.
Although games purchased through the bundle do not activate on Steam, downloads via the itch app or website are DRM-free. Many of the included titles also natively support macOS and Linux, and items from bundles appear in a separate tab on itch.io's library section.
The Game Industry Hardship Fund aims to support the thousands of employees laid off over the past several years amid the industry's pandemic-era overinvestment. The bundle page cites reports claiming that 33% of the industry's workers have experienced job losses in the past two years.
Publishers have announced layoffs impacting thousands this summer alone. France's video game union, the Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses du jeu vidéo, announced a strike after more than 1,000 workers lost their jobs. Bungie also recently eliminated roughly 400 positions after pivoting away from Destiny 2.
Ubisoft laid off 51 workers at its Barcelona studio shortly after the massively successful launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a game the office helped develop, and MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy recently faced protests from laid-off workers in the UK while flying in fans for playtesting.
Most notably, Microsoft recently eliminated 1,600 positions, with another 1,600 employees set to be laid off over the course of this year. In a bid to "reset" Xbox, the company let go of five studios and began reorganizing its gaming business. That move has already prompted further layoffs at the now-independent Double Fine.