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$1 million fund to address racial equity within game development announces first publishing deal and latest signed projects.

June 8, 2022

5 Min Read

[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]

Author: Humble Games

Today, Black Game Developer Fund (BGDF), the annual $1M fund founded by Humble Games to support Black game developers around the world in building their game, marks its second anniversary with a series of important new milestones including the first announced publishing deal from Humble Games, five new signed projects to receive funding and the commitment from Humble Games for a third year of $1M in funding. 

 

  • Protodroid DeLTA to be Published by Humble Games - Adam Kareem’s Protodroid DeLTA, a 3D action-platformer set in a beautiful solarpunk world, has been signed to a publishing agreement with Humble Games. Adam was among the first developers to enroll for funding as part of the Black Game Developer Fund program after it was founded in 2020 and today he becomes the first BGDF partner to launch his game under Humble Games.

    Scheduled for release in early 2023, Protodroid DeLTA is an ode to the iconic Sonic and Mega Man franchises and the generational leap from 2D to 3D games made in the 90s. The story follows DeLTA, a protodroid, along her efforts to save the Radia region from a powerful Vyper threat while changing the lives of everyone she meets during her journey. 

    • More information on Protodroid DeLTA can be found on the official Humble Games page here

    • Assets for the game including a new trailer are also available here.

    • Tune in to a special interview later today on The MIX’s Black Voices in Gaming to hear about Adam’s journey. The event will kick off at 10am PT and can be watched on twitch.tv/guerrillacollective and youtube.com/guerrillacollective.

 

  • Humble Games Commits $1M for Third Year of BGDF Funding - The Black Game Developer Fund has become an important path for Black game developers worldwide to receive the funds needed to get their vision off the ground, add the resources needed to continue their project or push development over their next milestone. Humble Games representatives alongside Sithe Ncube and Justin Woodward, the BGDF strategic advisors, have selected 30+ Black independent developers and studios led by Black developers to receive funding in the first two years of the program. Today, Humble Games is continuing to commit $1M to the annual Black Game Developer Fund to continue the work of supporting, empowering and helping to achieve racial equity within game development. Read more about the BGDF’s 2nd anniversary here: https://blackgamedevfund.com/onward-into-year-three-of-the-bgdf-some-big-news/ 

 

  • Five Talented New Black Devs Join the BGDF - With an extraordinary passion for game development, five new developers join the Black Game Developer Fund to help take their projects to the next level of production. 

    • Code Blue Games - 6DEGREES - Founded by alumni from top studios including Sony, Disney and Bethesda, Code Blue Games is building 6DEGREES, a third person sci-fi action-adventure game where players transfer their mind into a variety of unique robots to battle foes, traverse the environment, and solve puzzles all while having to protect their physical body from harm.

    • GxGrainSon - Having created an extraordinary world and vibrant characters with the launch of the fantasy 2D fighting game, Arcus Chroma, GxGrainSon is continuing to expand on the original title’s legacy in his follow up title. 

    • Joseph Hooker - IGDA Next Gen Leader Award recipient Joseph Hooker's upcoming game melds retro aesthetics, modern rendering and post-processing, and a compelling gameplay loop. 

    • Ritual Games - Developers Darryl Reid and Jon Goldthorpe are in the midst of developing an unannounced game inspired by their love of fighting games and 80’s action movies.

    • Weathered Sweater - Founded by award-winning Trinidadian-American game developer Ryan Huggins, the team at Weathered Sweater is working on a new, unannounced turn-based survival game. 

 

Earlier this year, Black Game Developer Fund relaunched their website at https://blackgamedevfund.com/ to become an ongoing resource and informational hub surrounding the people, the projects and the passion for game development of those enrolled in the BGDF. The new home for the BGDF also provides important information for how Black game devs can apply for funding and connect with the advisors to answer their questions.  

 

Please let us know if you have any questions and if we can further assist in your coverage of Black Game Developer Fund, Adam Kareem’s Protodroid DeLTA and the newly signed publishing agreement or any of the games and partners signed up with the BGDF. 

 

About the Black Game Developer Fund - https://blackgamedevfund.com/

The Black Game Developer Fund is an annual $1M annual investment fund founded by Humble Games in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and what many consider the tipping point in the conversation around social and racial injustices seen globally for far too long. The BGDF continues to build on Humble Bundle’s vision of uniting communities for good through gaming and through this $1 million annual investment meant to empower and help achieve racial equity within game development. Through the guidance of the fund’s strategic advisors, Sithe Ncube and Justin Woodward, the BGDF is focused on helping to fund these independent projects from Black game devs and studios helmed by Black game developers to get their projects off the ground or into their next phase of development.

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