March 2026 Update

Mar 17th, 2026 by Tim Cullings

Happy March, Indies!

March came in like a lion for Seattle Indies and made this update much later than usual. We finished February with an excellent and inspiring Games and Education Industry Collider, the fifth edition since we launched this series way back in 2018. Thanks to our new venue hosts Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle U who generously welcomed us into Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center for an evening of talks, roundtable discussions and a lively expo floor. Check out some photos from the event courtesy of Darrel Porcher. We’ll have some video interviews posted soon as well. The theme of this year’s event was making games classroom ready and we had over 150 guests, presenters, volunteers and exhibitors in attendance who all walked away buzzing with excitement and ideas on this topic. You can re-watch the fireside chat with Kim Swift and panel discussion on our YouTube channel as well. Check this month’s Spotlight Interview for a short sit down with Kim Swift and Seattle Indies Executive Director Tim Cullings.

March kicked off with the Slice of SLICE International Executive Summit where Seattle Indies welcomed indie founders from around the world for two plus days of high powered meetings, site visits and networking opportunities with the local community. We welcomed a dozen developers and studio founders from Europe, the UK, Canada, Mexico, and the US for a pre-GDC tour of Seattle and our vibrant game development scene. The tour included stops at the WA State Department of Commerce for a roundtable discussion on how the government can and should be supporting the games industry, a tour of the newly redesigned Seattle Waterfront with a couple of stops along the way, an appearance at a 601 Club meetup, a visit to the Xbox offices and a roundtable discussion with the ID@Xbox team and we rounded out the trip with a visit to Pike Place Market and a Seattle Kraken game with an exclusive tour of Climate Pledge Arena before the game. The goals were to foster connections between the local community and inspire cross-border collaborations between the local and visiting developers as well as to show off all that Seattle has to offer in our vibrant game development community. We were also able to include a quick visit to the Bungie offices and some of us attended an acoustic evening of classic Seattle grunge music at the old home of the SI Holiday Party in Sodo. The goals were met and far exceeded by all who joined us for these events. Some of the visiting execs made Seattle their only stop on the tour and returned home afterwards others went on to San Francisco and GDC. We will look to make this an annual event, welcoming international visitors to Seattle the week prior to GDC and putting Seattle front and center on the world game development stage as the precursor to the big event in SF. The Slice of SLICE name is meant to entice our visitors to return for SLICE proper later in the year and hopefully bring colleagues with them.

Many of us went from there to San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) the week of March 9 – 13 and it was another banner year at the conference for Seattle Indies. We were a part of the inaugural edition of the Partner Program alongside some other renowned Community Organizations which included a kiosk in the Indie Arcade area where we showcased three games and dev teams from our community; Kart Royale, Arcane Eats and HYPERBEAT. We hosted the annual indie dev meetup in Dolores Park on Sunday the 8th, a great tradition to kick off GDC week, we co-hosted the Local Game Community Organizers Forum that expanded to two hours this year and featured lively discussions with game development community leaders from all over the world and we brought the same group together for our annual Community Organizer mixer at Barebottle Brewing Company at Salesforce Park, generously supported by our friends at Unity for the 2nd year running. Check out Unity’s handy Indie Survival Guide, whatever tools you’re using, this archive of Q&As, live streams, and VODs offers practical insights from devs and industry folks. There’s no universal playbook or magic formula, but shared lessons in design, business, and day-to-day survival can help to give you the best chance of finding success.

We’re already half-way through the month with local events in full swing. Our next major meetup is tonight at Stoup Brewing Capitol Hill for the always lively Seattle Indies Social. There will not be pizza this month unfortunately but we do have cookies and great game devs to share stories with, relive your favorite memories from GDC, stave off the post-con blues just a little longer or show off the hot new game idea you are working on. All are welcome so we hope to see you there.

PAX East is coming up on Mar 26 – 29, 2026 in Boston! Go Read all about it here!

The IndieGameBusiness® 2026 Battle Pass gives you access to the remaining 2026 lineup at a reduced price that continues to decrease as each event takes place.

Originally, the pass covered four events and two Masterclasses for $189 USD, which was a 30% savings off the full $276 value. Since the February Session has already happened, the price now reflects the remaining events. As each event passes, the cost adjusts so you are only paying for what is left. You can grab your ticket today for just $152 USD!

You’ll still receive full access to expert talks, practical workshops, and direct industry insight designed for developers, publishers, and service providers. You will also receive two days of MeetToMatch access during the September IGB Session to connect directly with industry professionals.

Included Events

– IGB Session & MeetToMatch | Feb 18 & 19: From Pitch to Partnership (Completed)

– Deep Dive | May 27: Building Strong Publishing Partnerships

– IGB Session & MeetToMatch | Sept 30 & Oct 1: The Path from Storefront to Success

– Deep Dive | Dec 9: Game Marketing That Works

Included Masterclasses

– Heather Chandler, “The Production Toolkit Every Game Team Needs” | June 17, 2026

– Ash Cason, “Community Management: The Basics” | Oct 20, 2026

One pass covers the rest of the year and is perfect for developers, publishers, and service providers who want to grow their projects, strengthen their business, and build valuable connections.

Seattle Indies, IndieCade and Earthlab @ the University of Washington present Climate Jam 2026! Climate Jam is a six week game jam with sprints and deliverables where we’ll make games about the challenges of our changing climate! 

We once again invite game creators from around the world to make games that explore solutions to address a rapidly changing planet. Together we can make a difference! Register for the jam now and stay tuned for this year’s theme announcement!

Climate Jam 2026 runs from 10am PDT on July 1st to 10pm PDT on August 10th. Schedule times and dates may be adjusted before the beginning of the jam.

International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the IGDA Foundation, the Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund, and Unlikely Collaborators™ bring you a truly special opportunity. If you’ve ever wanted to stretch your creativity, build something meaningful, or collaborate with new people, this is your moment.

Unlikely Collaborators™ Game Jam

The Unlikely Collaborators Game Jam is open to U.S.-based teams living in the United States. For more information, please reference the Rules section below. 

Interested creators can join the Discord to find team members. All qualifying individuals must submit a registration form in addition to one representative submitting their game to Itch.io to enter for judging and prizing.

KEY DATES

The following prizing is available to be awarded:

Are you ready to take on the challenge? We can’t wait to see what you create! 

For any questions, please reach out to unlikely@igdafoundation.org

If you want to get a list of all upcoming game event shows and get ready early, The Indie House has published this fantastic list of upcoming festival that’s exactly that. Well worth a bookmark!

This Month’s feature is Kim Swift, creator of Portal and 20 year games industry veteran.

Kim sat down with us for a one on one interview at the recent Games and Education Industry Collider, you can watch the full interview here.

Want to be featured in the Seattle Indies Spotlight interview? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch before your feature in an upcoming edition of the newsletter. This newsletter has a reach of 20,000+ people across all platforms and we encourage you to use the Spotlight feature as a means to promote your upcoming release, demo, Kickstarter, event or anything you would like our readers to know about. This is a space for you and for the community to get to know you so please make use of it. 

Spotlight interview interest form: https://forms.gle/EHNfg1kE1fi2gVeV6

Bio:  Kim Swift is a twenty-year industry veteran of the games industry, best known for work and design leadership on Portal, the Left-4-Dead franchise, and Quantum Conundrum. Kim has worked in a variety of creative leadership and product management roles, spearheading quality and innovation across companies such as Amazon, Electronic Arts, Google and Xbox.

Earlier this year, Kim founded Swiftli Games and Consulting. Kim is consulting on a number of topics including innovative platform features and cloud gaming strategy, market analysis and business development, game creative clarity and quality, and portfolio and studio leadership.

Here’s our Meetup Page with all future upcoming events. 

Indie Co-working Support Group  in-person will take place every Saturday,  from 1:00 PM to 6:30 PM PST, at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment on the 4th Floor of the Seattle Center Armory.  Seattle Center wifi will be available for use. Please bring everything you need to be productive. We have also added a Co-working voice channel in Discord for people to use any time they want a quiet space to work alongside their peers.

The Pierce County Social happened on Monday March 2nd in Tacoma at 7 Seas Brewery and Taproom. Join us at 7 Seas Brewery and Taproom in the main taproom every 1st Monday of every month to chat about game development, games, or just hang out! Kids are welcome until 8pm as long as they are within arm’s length. Main tap room is first come, first served. Pinball machines and shuffleboard on site. This event happens every first Monday of the month in Tacoma.

The Seattle Blender User Group happened on March 7, 10am to 1pm at Academy of Interactive Entertainment – Seattle Center Armory – Suite 405 (305 Harrison St, Suite 405 · Seattle, WA). Seabug’s goals are to help beginners learn Blender, create Blender opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, showcase advanced Blender tools and projects, and celebrate open source graphics in all forms.

The East Side Meetup happened on March. 10, 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Pint & Pie Public House, located on 7858 Leary Way NE , Redmond, WA. Let’s put down our controllers and keyboards, get together, and enjoy some good conversation in person. We can’t wait to hear your stories and connect with new faces! Join us every 2nd Tuesday of the month for this lively group of gamedevs.

The In-Person Writer’s Group took place at Hugo House on March. 11 at 6:30 PM. For anyone interested or working on projects in game writing, narrative design, voice acting or more– swing by Seattle Indies’ In-Person Writer’s Group! Bring your narrative games, scripts, flowcharts, character bibles or any other story materials for sharing and feedback.

The Northside Social was cancelled this month due to GDC but usually would take place March. 12, 6pm-9pm at Watershed Pub & Kitchen (10104 3rd Ave NE · Seattle, WA). It’s time to get together and swap stories. Put down your keyboards and brave the outdoors. Let’s meet for some food, a drink, and some good conversation! This group meets every 2nd Thursday of the month.

Diversity Collective+  happened on March. 15, 12pm-2pm at Phoenix Comics and Games. Come to network, socialize, and discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion in game development! Folks who identify as an underrepresented minority in the game industry are welcome.

The Games and Education Industry Happy Hour will happen on Monday March 16, 2026 at Big Time Brewery & Alehouse in the University District at 4133 University Way NE. Building upon the conversations sparked at the collider event, this happy hour provides a relaxed and engaging environment to further connect professionals from both industries. Settle in for an evening of networking, sharing insights, and fostering new collaborations. Whether you attended the collider or this is your first time joining, let’s continue to bridge the gap between games and education, creating meaningful connections and opportunities for innovation.

The monthly Seattle Indies Social will take place on March. 17, 6pm-11pm at Stoup Brewing – Capitol Hill located on 1158 Broadway, Seattle, WA. Join us for some well-deserved mingling, drinks, and socialization! Make some new friends, catch up with old ones, and find out what the community’s up to. This is our biggest monthly meetup in terms of attendance and meets every 3rd Tuesday of the month from January through November, in December we take a break for the annual Holiday Party.

The Game Club will take place on March 18 at 7pm right on our Discord, focusing on Neva. What a book club is to discussion of literature, this event is to a discussion of game design. Every month, we agree to play a game, then meet to discuss and analyze its design and presentation.

The SnoCo Social is happening on March. 20, 6pm at Zulu’s Board Game Cafe (5116 196th St SW Suite 203, Lynnwood, WA). Hang out at a local game store with fellow Snohomish Co and adjacent folks over food, drinks, engaging conversations, and maybe some board gaming!

The Godot Seattle Meetup will take place on Sunday March 22 at Seattle Interactive Media (SIM) 3131 Western Ave Unit 421. Come hang out and talk about your godot game or talk about indie game development in Godot engine.

See the following link of how to enter the building or parking info:

https://www.seattlesim.com/accessibility 

The Southside Social has moved to a new venue, the Community Convention Center in Auburn, WA at The Outlet Collection Seattle (next to Burlington). Come join us on the last Monday of every month to chat about games, game development, or show off what you’ve been working on!

The Playtesting Club will take place on March 25 at 8pm at Stoup Brewery on 1158 Broadway. Looking for feedback on your game? Only had other game developers try it? Playtesting Club is for you!

Seabug Study Hall takes place every week on Thursday, 9pm to 11pm, right on our Discord! Join others from the Seattle Blender User Group for a lo-fi chill out online study hall. Bring a project, just chat, and have a good time with some unstructured project sharing and Q&A.

The Kitsap Social (Bremerton) is happening on Tuesday March 31 at Ashley’s Pub and meets regularly on the last Tuesday of each month at the same location. Come hang out with the lively Seattle Indies Kitsap bunch! We meet every last Tuesday of the month to talk about making video games and other nerdy stuff. Notes: Location is 21+, dogs are welcome, walkable from the Seattle ferry.

Ev Forest Abbott:

I recently started a YouTube devlog for my first game! If you’re interested in seeing my progress on my weird little game, feel free to follow here! My most recent devlog https://youtu.be/bmkRzExcnSo?si=cdVJNpVIwi_quPSh

GoodGoat:

Hey folks, I shipped my first game today!

Get Goating is a small indie where you play a goat delivering mail through the woods while something stalks you. It’s cozy, a little tense, and pretty weird. If anyone checks it out, feedback or reviews are very appreciated. We’re still in early access, which means there’s a lot more to come, and your feedback matters!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4303820/Get_Goating 

Cooksfarm:

Hello, all. I just wanted to post some progress clips to show you how great the game is looking. The screen recordings here don’t even do it justice. It is phenomenal. For two years, I have been pouring my heart into this. I’m putting in as much content as I can think of and have the ability to put on the screen. I can’t wait to give all of you gamers a demo here in a couple months. I think you might like it.  Please wishlist on Steam! 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2941790/Tour_de_Farm/ 

Nkm:

Hey everyone! Our team has been working on Devil Lift, our tag-team roguelike deck builder, for about a year and a half, and we just launched our Steam page and our teaser trailer! If you were at the last SIX, you may have come across our small playable vertical slice, and we’re so excited (and nervous) to finally be sharing with the world. We’d be so grateful if you’d check us out and wishlist us. We’ll be sharing much more in the months ahead and are on track for playtesting in Q3 this year! Thank you to this community for all the help to this point! We’re so blessed to be building games in the PNW with you all. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4125380/Devil_Lift/ 

Conorati:

Creature Kitchen, one of the games we showed at the Seattle Indies Expo last year, is now out!  Many thanks for the support we’ve gotten from ya’all!  It means the world to us, sincerely! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3097300/Creature_Kitchen/ 

Jack!

Go Ape Ship! Is Coming! Soon! This Month! Wishlist Now!

Announcement Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TP0YZ006V0 

Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4037180/Go_Ape_Ship/ 

Wishlist on EGS: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/go-ape-ship-53158b 

Pre-Order on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/go-ape-ship/id6751299685 

Pre-Register on Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=games.sound.gouda 

Teddy Delaney

My name is Teddy Delaney. I’ve been collaborating with a team of 26–30 developers to create a narrative-driven experience designed not just to reach a wide audience, but to genuinely resonate with the people who play it. The result is a game we’re incredibly proud of: Eyes of the Forest.

On this project, I worked as UX Designer and Producer, shaping the player experience through UI and camera design while overseeing production strategy and cross-discipline collaboration.

We just showcased Eyes of the Forest at WA State Gaming Expo and are building wishlist momentum on Steam.

You play as Thistle, a small forest creature navigating a haunting, post critter-folk wilderness. The game blends environmental storytelling, stealth mechanics, and exploration, to create an intimate, emotionally compelling journey.

Think:

• Atmospheric forest exploration

• Strategic stealth

• Cinematic dynamic camera system

• Diegetic UI and minimal HUD

• Strong environmental mood + sound design

It’s completely free at launch!

You can read more about Eyes of the Forest and check out the cinematic trailer by following the Steam link below.

👉 https://store.steampowered.com/app/4395790/Eyes_of_the_Forest/ 

If it sounds like your kind of game, we’d love a wishlist!!!

Brandon O.

After many years of off and on development, my solo made game Towerbolt is OUT TODAY!!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2559220/Towerbolt/ 

I’m extremely grateful to the Seattle Indies community throughout the journey of my game.  I’ve shown the game at two SIXs, at various SI social meetups, and at a bunch of Seattle Indies booths during conventions last year.  Every bit of feedback from other devs in the community as well as being able to show the game at cons was super helpful and I very much appreciate everything.  Cheers, and thank you!!

Kylydian

Our indie team is getting ready for next fest coming up and polishing up our demo as we prep for release at the end of march. We have a publicly available demo already, and would love some honest reviews for feedback and to help boost the steam algorithm!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCpgj4ctZYU 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3520420/Nullpoint_Protocol/ 

Riccardo

Hello everyone!

I am a Cornish student who’s trying to figure out problems and opportunities related to the tabletop gaming experience. This survey is intended for tabletop gamers and should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

https://forms.gle/6kNXdWtoeuWVhPu76 

Thank you in advance to everyone who’s willing to participate 🙂

Art Li B.

Been working on this funny desktop toy where you search for the bugs living in your computer 🙂

There now a demo out on Steam if you’d like to have some bugs chill with you while you work

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3875530/Intentional_Bugs/

Bernie (he/him)

We just put our Steam page up. Help us break 1,000 wishlists today! My indie is going to bring the flatscreen version from VR to PC and Steamdeck. Stay: Your Forever Pet will ship later this year to Early Access! We wanted to capture what it’s like to have a pet – in a magical world. And bringing it to PC is the best way to show our work to the broadest audience possible. Help us hit 1,000 wishlists today!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4385270/Stay_Your_Forever_Pet/ 

Leslie

Hi all! @Nayaki and I have launched the steam page for our game Wind’s Heartbeat, a horse-survival-crafting game about a young woman who finds a wild horse and trains it to ride in 1800s Idaho: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4336250/Winds_Heartbeat/ 

Tyelor

We gave our demo for our upcoming Punch-Out!! inspired game, Knockout 2: Wrath of the Karen it’s own Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4245420/Knockout_2_Wrath_of_the_Karen_Demo/ 

Giving us a Thumbs Up would really help us get some visibility for Steam Next Fest 😄

Soup {Alex}

Hey guys! Our demo for our new game Reel Tiny is out now as part of Nextfest! Checking out the demo would greatly help https://store.steampowered.com/app/4194890 

Polyspark Studios

Hello, we are Polyspark Studios. We are new to Seattle Indies but wanted to share our first game that was released last November. It’s more of a game-jam that took us the whole summer of 2025. Think of it as a small 3rd person shooter from 1998. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4005700/Orbital_Frenzy/ 

Fern

I released my first proper multiplayer game yesterday! It’s up to 8 players and open-world. Very silly and whimsical. I say it’s Tarkov 2D for girls but, you know, that’s subjective I guess lol  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4231020/Gum_Squad/ 

Alexander

Hey Folks! I’m starting a patreon for extra funds for my contractors, any signal boosting will help a ton!

https://bsky.app/profile/cookingfist.bsky.social/post/3mekc3jmb522n

Harrison

Announced the release date for my game Dungeon Bodega Simulator, which will be coming to steam March 24th! 

Bsky post if you can hype it plz: https://bsky.app/profile/alienfruit.games/post/3mfzbx5dryc2k 

Salaar

made a new trailer for my game Gunstoppable and added full voice acting  

hope you like it!  (I’m a solo dev) https://youtu.be/CDuaIF9htcI 

Ezra(DeveloperEzra)

Hello all! It’s been a while for me but I recently released some pixel art asset packs and have been looking for more inspiration and direction to extend them. (Or more packs)

https://ezthedev.itch.io/isodungeon 

https://ezthedev.itch.io/forest-story

Maximus T (Astrolander)

Astrolander is now coming to Steam & PS5! Play a revolutionary reimagining of platformers in the action-packed Astrolander! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwiwPu8mHyA Wishlist now on Steam and the PlayStation Store.

ZEROᵈᵛᶠ†

I’ve released my game, Don’t Stop In Red Wood. It’s available now on Steam and free for five days on Itch.io. Play / download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3847330/Dont_Stop_In_Red_Wood https://noxusgamesstudio.itch.io/dont-stop-in-red-wood-2

Jason

Hi Seattle Game Devs, Want to take a break and go for a walk? But wish you could game on the walk? Check out – IRL Nations https://www.irlnations.com/ – it’s like Age of Empires played IRL on a real map. The users are all in the Seattle area. Join one of 3 nations and help your fellow citizens conquer the world!

Our steam page just went live! Trying to get done in time for Valentine’s. 

DePalo

Hi all! I would appreciate all the game dev support as I’m preparing for a June Steam Next Fest demo launch. If you fine folks can help spread the word and wishlist The Last Call, it can help a lot. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4222280/The_Last_Call/

Joshua Rosen (MrMeowmurs)

Hey all, I just released my game End of Garbage yesterday. If you’re into weird, short first-person puzzle games, check it out! It takes about an hour or so to finish. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4256210/End_of_Garbage/

Harassment Policy, AAPI, Black Lives Matter, and Resources

Seattle Indies stands with the AAPI community. We are here for our members who have been affected by the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes both locally and nationally. For further resources to educate yourself on the issue and how to take action, here is a useful link: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/

Seattle Indies believes the stories of the victims of sexual harassment and assault in the games industry that have been shared. We strongly condemn the actions by people in power preying on the dreams of vulnerable people trying to make their way in the industry. We strive to build an inclusive community that welcomes all minorities to provide a safe environment and a better vision for the game industry.

While our code of conduct states a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind, we are especially sensitive to the daily challenges faced by womxn due to the ingrained sexism that has existed in the structure of the games industry for far too long. We are actively working to build a better community of game developers, and we all need to do better.

Additionally, Board Member Angel Mero  has offered to be a personal resource for anyone who needs help, someone to talk to or some guidance on next steps if you have experienced harassment in the industry either at our events or elsewhere. She can be reached at angel@seattleindies.org.

Our friends at Take This Org have compiled valuable resources for anyone in immediate need of professional help for their situation.

Lastly, Seattle Indies and Diversity Collective+ support Black Lives Matter. Here are some resources compiled by Diversity Collective+ for how you can offer support, whether this is financial, contributing to petitions, preparing for protests, or getting informed. If you have additional resources, comment below and we will add them.

As always, keep an eye on our Discord for any last-minute news and discussion, and let us know about any projects you’re working on that you’d like shared on our Steam or Itch collections or follow us on all of our social media platforms.

If you want to join our mailing list to get this update sent to your inbox monthly you can Subscribe on LinkedIn.