The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of the people of Ukraine, as well as the game developers whose lives have been uprooted as a result of the unprovoked aggression by Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin.

The IGDA extends its support for Ukraine, its people, and the studios and game developers affected by this egregious breach of international law. As an international organization that values community and advocacy, we express our solidarity with Ukraine and our peers, friends, and colleagues within the Ukrainian game development community.

Today, the IGDA calls on the games industry to denounce the violent actions taken against Ukraine.

The game industry in Ukraine has grown exponentially over the last several years and has created a lasting impact on the global industry. The State of Ukrainian Industry reports over 400 game companies, branches, and teams make up Ukraine’s budding game development ecosystem, comprising 30,000+ employees. Studios include Ubisoft, Wargaming.net, GSC Game World, Frag Labs, Vostok Games, AB Games, and many more.

It is crucial for the game development community to come together and extend support for those impacted by the horrific violence from Russia’s military invasion. Accordingly, the IGDA will update this statement with new resources that we’ve identified and cultivated to support those affected by this warfare as they become available.

Resources

• This War of Mine – Donations: Studio will be directing all profits from sales of This War of Mine over the next week to the Ukrainian Red Cross to directly support victims of the war in Ukraine.
• Poland: Information for Refugees from Ukraine
• List of informational links including donation links for medical supplies, children, and more.
• A Reddit thread that displays a collection of charities across Ukraine
• Twitter thread coordinating support among studios for developers and colleagues fleeing Ukraine
• UN Refugee Agency – donation link for organization, and information about the current situation
• Razom Emergency Response – a 501(c)(3) organization, donations and gifts are deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations
• Developex, a software and web development company with operations in Ukraine, compiled a list of resources including websites for donations, petition signing, and additional humanitarian assistance
• Necrosoft Games coordinated an itch.io bundle for Ukraine, with the goal of raising $2 million that will fund two charitable organizations: Voices of Children and International Medical Corps.

About the IGDA:

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is the largest non-profit membership organization in the world serving all individuals who create games. The mission of the IGDA is to support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers.

As an international organization, the IGDA is a U.S.-based 501(c)6 non-profit professional association and a global network of collaborative projects and communities of individuals from all fields of game development – including programmers and producers, designers and artists, as well as writers, business people, QA team members, localization experts, and everyone else who participates in any way in the game development process. The IGDA brings together developers at key industry conferences, and in over 170 Chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs), to improve their lives and their craft.