A $10 indie game bundle with 100+ games has raised over $100,000 in three days to support laid-off developers

Q: What is included in the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io and how many games does it contain?

For a minimum $10 donation the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io includes 127 indie games (DRM-free PC downloads) with a combined retail value of over $1,000. Notable inclusions named in the article are A Short Hike, SkateBird, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, and Eldritch, and the bundle features contributions from studios such as Larian, Devolver, and Innersloth.

Q: Which notable indie games and developers are featured in the bundle (examples mentioned in the article)?

The bundle includes contributions from developers/publishers such as Larian, Devolver, and Innersloth, and was organized by Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield. Notable indie games mentioned in the article that are included are A Short Hike, SkateBird, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, and the Doom-like immersive sim Eldritch.

Q: What fundraising progress had the bundle made after three days and what new target did organizers set?

The bundle hit its original $100,000 goal in three days, with over 7,000 people contributing and an average donation of about $14 (one person gave $2,000). Organizers then raised the target to $200,000.

The bundle runs until August 13 and features contributions from Larian, Devolver, and Innersloth, with all proceeds going to laid-off developers.

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Hassam Nasir

Tech Reporter

Published Aug 4, 2026 4:30 PM CDT

1 minute & 45 seconds read time

TL;DR: For $10, the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io offers 127 DRM-free PC games (retail value >$1,000) to raise money for US and Canada developers laid off since Jan 2024; all proceeds minus fees fund hardship grants, the bundle reached $100,000 in three days and aims for $200,000.

Voice: Hassam NasirSpeed

0:00 / 2:46

The gaming industry has been through a brutal few years of layoffs, with the most recent round at Xbox and Bethesda leading to project cancellations and thousands of game developers losing their jobs. To make the situation a little easier for those affected, a group of indie studios decided to do something about it, and the response has been remarkable.

Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield, working alongside the United Videogame Workers union, put together the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io. For a minimum of $10, you get 127 indie games with a combined retail value of over $1,000.

A $10 indie game bundle with 100+ games has raised over $100,000 in three days to support laid-off developers 1

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All proceeds, minus itch.io processing fees, go directly to a hardship fund that distributes money to laid-off game developers in the US and Canada, helping cover rent, groceries, healthcare, and other day-to-day expenses. Workers who lost their jobs after January 2024 can apply for support through two tiers: one for requests under $1,000, and a Major Expenses Tier for amounts between $1,000 and $5,000.

The bundle hit its original $100,000 goal in three days. Over 7,000 people have contributed so far, with the average donation sitting around $14 and one person putting in $2,000. The organizers have since raised the target to $200,000, and with 10 days still remaining, that goal looks well within reach.

A $10 indie game bundle with 100+ games has raised over $100,000 in three days to support laid-off developers 3

The games themselves are worth your time too. A Short Hike, a quiet and genuinely lovely exploration game, is in there. So is SkateBird, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, the Doom-like immersive sim Eldritch, and over a hundred others ranging from well-known indie gems to titles you have probably never heard of but might end up loving. All of them are DRM-free PC downloads through itch.io, so no Steam or Epic required.

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Question #1

What is included in the Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on itch.io and how many games does it contain?

Question #2

Where do proceeds from the bundle go and which geographic region of developers is eligible for support?

Question #3

Which notable indie games and developers are featured in the bundle (examples mentioned in the article)?

Question #4

What fundraising progress had the bundle made after three days and what new target did organizers set?

Have a question not listed here? Ask below and TweakBot will answer it.

As the bundle description puts it, roughly a third of developers in the US have lost their jobs in the last two years, and AI is being cited as the reason the roles they would normally move into are disappearing. Spending $10 on a bundle that gets you over a thousand dollars worth of games while putting money in the hands of people who actually made them is about as clean a win as these situations get.