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NYC Game Dev Digest – December 2025

New York – New York City

| 17 Dec 2025

Your monthly guide to NYC game dev news, jobs, and events.

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Monday, December 15th 2025
Editors: Mattia Sicuro & Anthony Melendez
A monthly publication of the International Game Developers Association New York City Chapter for the NYC game community.
nyc@igda.org • igda.nyc

Hey, Gmail users! Click to see the full, unclipped version. Don’t miss the jobs and other good stuff at the end!

Happy Holidays!!!
With big releases, award shows and jams to join,
Tis the season to get into some of the last events of the year!

In this issue:

What’s on | Highlights of upcoming events.

Chapter Events Meetups, talks, and other events we’re hosting.

#NYMakesGames News | Game launches and other updates from local creators.

Around Town | A community calendar of events from across the city.

What’s On This Month



Join Aaron Johnson of Lifestream Media for this month’s Level Up Tuesday talk; Using Short-Form Content to Build an Audience.This talk will go through a practical approach to short-form video marketing for indie games on social platforms like TikTok, Youtube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. Topics will include identifying high-performing content from your dev work, building a repeatable posting system, and converting organic reach into real audience growth for your game.Bleu Bayou by Bokoyoss Games and Summon Island: The Robot Pirate Invasion was today?! by Shattered Journal Games will be part of our featured showcase!BONUS: Early attendees will get a ticket for a free drink at the bar!

RSVP Required For Free Entry!

If you’d like to showcase your game at an upcoming Level Up Tuesday, fill out the submission form HERE! If you have interest in sharing your expertise as a speaker, fill out the interest form HERE!

 

Global Game Jam and Games for Change have once again partnered up to create the world’s largest student game jam in support of the Games for Change “G4C Student Challenge.” This jam seeks to engage young people in creating games that tackle global issues.
 

The Indie Games Awards (The IGAs) is an annual awards-only ceremony dedicated to honoring excellence in indie gaming. The IGAs spotlight compelling and groundbreaking titles from around the world regardless of popularity. The ceremony is developer-focused, with game creators taking center stage to present awards, recognize their peers, and openly speak without the pressure of time constraints.

Learn More
 

Get ready for two unforgettable days celebrating the artistry, creativity, and community of video games! The 15th Annual New York Game Awards + GG Fest with Supergiant Games: Unplugged bring together fans, creators, and critics for a one-of-a-kind, two-day experience in the heart of NYC. If you purchase the two-day experience, you get a big discount!

Applicable to the first 25 people who sign up, use code IGDA26 to reduce tickets to the NY Game Awards to $50 (not applicable for GG Fest Tickets).

Learn More

On the Horizon

NY Makes Games!

Celebrating work by the NYC game dev community.

Share your NY game news here or Bluesky #NYMakesGames.
Section Editor: Mattia Sicuro

Making Waves

Crowdfund

  • RTS Hero by TILT Games – Dive into the combat or Zoom Out to mange your kingdom. Seamless and fast to switch between base building and 3RD Person RPG Combat.

  • [Coming Soon] Sprout: A game about keeping houseplants alive by Rabble– Adopt and care for adorable houseplants, (sort of) cooperate with your roommates, try not to wilt your leafy friends

Pre-Order/Wishlist

  • Lost Hearts by Overfancy Hat Games LLC – A horror game inspired by the works of M.R. James. Explore Aswarby Hall to uncover your family’s secret history. Decide the fate of your ancestors by re-living each ghost’s last day on earth, with several endings for every story.

  • Mimic Meadows by sourencho is about solving mind-bending puzzles using your power to transform into animals by mimicking their movement.

Early Access/Beta

  • Wreckage by Jupiter Lighthouse Games is a brutal car combat game about surviving deadly battles in crime-ravaged Florida.

  • Oloo by shidonski is a 2d physics platformer starring a little creature, too squishy to be dangerous and too cute to be scary.

Launched

  • Neon Inferno by Zenovia Interactive – Blast your way through this dense cyberpunk jungle in this explosive fusion of 2D run-and-gun and gallery-shooter, and help the Family dominate its streets!

  • Skate Story by Sam Eng – Ollie, kickflip, and grind your way through the ash and smoke of the Underworld. Skate fast to destroy demons and save other tortured souls on your journey from fragile beginner to a hardened skater. Also on Playstation and Switch 2!
  • Summit Drive by Luke Kim – a driving game where you play as an anthropomorphic bird who must make their way up to the mountain summit for a view like none other. Releases Dec. 19th. Check out the trailer

Ongoing Initiatives

  • Applications to join GUMBO are open! GUMBO is a non-profit collective of indie game creators located in Dumbo, Brooklyn formed to inspire and motivate each other, stay current in the indie game makers community, and expand an already amazing skill-sharing network.

  • In support of Wonderville, consider becoming a member on WithFriends to help to keep the arcades working and pay for parts and maintenance!

  • ANNY Exchange is a Talent Connect Initiative for Animation Nights New York. Want to participate and be added to the database of Animation Talent from all around the world? More info here

  • Animation Nights New York (ANNY) is always accepting submissions for Animated Short Films, AR Animation Experiences, VR animation Experiences, and Interactive Media (including Video Games). More info here

  • Coexist Gaming is a subscription-based gaming lifestyle company that provides an inclusive ecosystem for community, culture, connection and opportunity. Including a gaming lounge, optimized networking experiences and accessible resources for Devs, find out more and become a member here!
  • Support the Game Devs of Color Expo’s mission to uplift marginalized voices in game development by signing up for their monthly Ko-fi subscription! Your support ensures ongoing grants, events, and community programs.

  • Support GUMBO on Patreon for exclusive digital content, free event access, and more!

  • The New York State Digital Game Development Program is designed to accelerate and attract economic development by offsetting some production costs associated with producing digital games in New York State.

  • Urban Arts teaches digital game design as a pathway to college and career by offering after-school programs, career prep, school partnerships and more. Learn about their various programs for students and teachers here!

  • The City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment “Made in NY” Logo Program provides qualified digital gaming companies with the ability to use the City’s “Made in NY” logo in their game’s packaging, title screen and/or game website.

Explore #NYMakesGames on Bluesky
Around Town

Happenings in the NYC game dev community and beyond.

Unless otherwise noted, events are (probably!) free to attend. Follow @GameDevNYC for event alerts. Contact nyc@igda.org to add your org’s events.

Tuesday, December 16th

GUMBO Board Game Playtest Night – Come meet some board game designers, play some unreleased games, and maybe even make some friends! This will be a special holiday edition! There’ll some snacks and if you want to just play some published games, that’s fine too!

Wonderville’s Tuesday of the month PLAYTEST – Come to Wonderville to playtest in production games! If you’re a developer, bring your game! No signups required.

Wednesday, December 17th

XR Holiday Party NYC! – The NYC XR universe is colliding for one big in-person holiday party! Unreal NYC, Unity NYC, XR Guild, AWE, NYVR, VRARA, The Polys and XR Motion are merging forces for a shared night of connection, celebration, and community.

 

Thursday, December 18th

Skillshare Thursday #2 – Join Unity’s Sr. Advocate, Esteban Maldonado, as he leads the 2nd Skillshare Thursday session. They’ll be covering multiple features of Unity URP to light a scene, including some new features in Unity 6 and post-processing volumes.

 

Friday, December 19th

Hostos Arcade –  A semesterly showcase of digital games from the capstone course of their Game Design program. Come out and play some games! There will be snacks and prizes.

 

Wednesday, January 7th

NYC Indie Games Social – A long-running monthly gathering for indie game devs and pals of all stripes to mix and mingle in a casual, relaxed setting, every first Wednesday.

Recurring Weekly

Thursdays

Fridays

Say hello!
nyc@igda.org

Join the Discord!

IGDA NYC Facebook Page

@IGDANYC on Twitter

IGDA NYC LinkedIn group

IGDA NYC website

Email

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