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With layoffs continuing to wrack the games industry—Microsoft’s decision to cut 3,200 people and ditch four studios in July was the big attention-getter but hardly the only bad news of the month, or the past few years—the United Videogame Workers union and Necrosoft Games have launched the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on Itch.io, with more than 100 games on offer for just $10.
Funds raised by the bundle will go toward a hardship fund run by the union for game developers impacted by layoffs, who can apply to the fund for money to cover food, healthcare, and rent. Details on eligibility are available in this FAQ, but one thing to note is that the fund, like the union, is only available to developers in the US and Canada.
As with most Itch.io bundles, this one is very indie and offbeat, although there are some more mainstream names in the mix too, like A Short Hike, Skatebird, Drywall Eating Simulator, Dungeon Bodega Simulator, and You Can Save Everyone, to name my own personal shortlist.
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But the real fun arises from diving into stuff you’ve never heard of and might not normally be drawn to. Diorama Dungeoncrawl looks like it might be kind of groovy, and how can you not be curious about Dirtbag Majhong?
It’s hard to go wrong on 100+ games for a tenner—even if you hit just one winner in the bunch you’ve got your value out of it, and I would expect far better results than that, but we’re making a point here. It’s for a good cause too, which is nice, and speaking of that, you can pay more than $10 if you want to do a little extra solid for out-of-work devs.
Special shoutout to the players who have been supporting and spreading the word about the itch bundle to support the Game Workers Hardship Fund! Your solidarity means the world to us, and player-dev solidarity is a critical component for driving positive change in the artform we love. We love you! 💪
— @videogameworkers.bsky.social (@videogameworkers.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-31T20:35:06.095Z
The Game Industry Hardship bundle has, at this moment, raised just shy of $30,000. It’ll be available for purchase until August 14.
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