New Year 2025 IAA Newsletter
Welcome to the first IAA newsletter of 2025! We've got exciting updates on events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support the Alberta game dev community.
If you would like to have your game or news included in this newsletter in the future, please email [email protected] to be included!
Interactive Arts Alberta Events and News
Game Discovery Exhibition (GDX) - July 16-27, 2025
We are happy to announce our return to the Edmonton area for July 16-27, 2025. The conference will run from July 16-17, followed by the exhibition on July 18-27.
GDX is North America’s largest indie games festival by attendance. Last year’s GDX exhibition saw over 100,000 attendees and we look forward to welcoming even more folks this year!
Interested in showcasing your game at GDX 2025?Like always, the GDX exhibition is free for Alberta-based game developers upon your acceptance. GDX represents a great opportunity to grow awareness of your games to a massive (and diverse) audience. If you have any reservations about product-market fit, GDX is the best place to find your fans and grow word-of-mouth excitement about your games.GDX 2025 Studio Submissions Now Open
Use the link below to submit your game for 2025, while the deadline is May 11, 2025, we highly encourage you to apply early to guarantee your spot. With over 100,000 visitors last year, and a waitlist, we know these spots will go quickly!Student submissions are welcome.
Global Game Jam 2025
This year, we are excited to offer an in-person site for Global Game Jam 2025. We’re all about fostering safe, inclusive, and non-crunch work cultures here at IAA, and that’s why the doors will close at 9 PM on Friday and Saturday, with no overnight stays allowed!
Rest, balance, and creating a better games industry together is vital for the long-term sustainability of our industry, and our development practices should reflect that.
If you’re interested in signing up, click the link below! Space is quite limited to provide each team with enough space to work on their games but the coffee is on and the Wi-fi is strong! Or should it be the other way around? Either way, there is no sign up fee for our site, so make sure you sign up ASAP!
Outside of Edmonton? There are sites across Alberta that you can access, including ones in Calgary and Lethbridge. The Lethbridge site is also free to attend.
Interactive Arts Community Hub Updates
Our dream of a collaborative indie community is one step closer to fruition: since 2016, we've yearned to build a pathway for indie developers to have creative fulfillment, sustainable careers, and good lives. Together, we are creating an environment—a third space—where creativity and collaboration can flourish.
The doors are officially open! Starting with the Global Game Jam weekend, the Walkthrough Collaborative Centre is now a space where game developers of all kinds can come together to create, connect, and thrive. No donation is required to drop in, but we encourage you to join us in supporting this space through a donation. And check out the incredible perks that come with supporting Walkthrough!
Every donation to Walkthrough helps fuel the growth of this community-driven initiative. From enhancing the space's offerings to covering essential needs like electricity and high-speed Wi-Fi, your contributions are essential in making this space a home for indie developers. We promise that 100% of your donation goes directly to Walkthrough operations and the indie community we're building together; our donation page contains a breakdown of where your contributions are going.
To reach our goal of $9,000 per month, we need your help to make Walkthrough sustainable and continue to offer support to our whole community. Every contribution—no matter how small—is an investment in the future of indie games and the people who create them. And although the financial sustainability of Walkthrough is important, it is nothing but an empty space without people. For those who have joined us for events, working periods, or other jams during Early Access, it's more obvious now than ever why we need community. As a games industry, we need to come together and support each other however we can. Walkthrough is our place of belonging within the city of Edmonton and in Alberta.
Walkthrough is run entirely by indie volunteers. Together, we’re making this dream a reality. Our current costs do not include paid staff or cleaners (which means taking care of the space and doing things like bringing indoor shoes is a huge help to us 😅). Join us and be a part of something bigger—help us create a space where indie developers can thrive and turn our visions into reality!
If you have additional questions, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Alberta & Beyond Steam Sale 2025
We are happy to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Alberta & Beyond Steam Sale that coincides with GDX. Showcase your work to a global audience in the Alberta & Beyond Steam Sale, a celebration of indie talent from Alberta and beyond.
Last year’s sale had over 2.1 million unique views!
This is your chance to boost your game’s visibility, connect with new players, and be part of a curated collection highlighting the best in indie innovation from our province.
Don’t miss this opportunity to put your game in the spotlight and join a community-driven event that champions creativity and local talent.
Sign up now to secure your spot!
Call for Volunteers
We are so excited to put the call out for general volunteers for Interactive Arts Alberta for the first time since the pandemic! Not just restricted to GDX, our general volunteers will be able to participate in a variety of activities and opportunities.Interested in making a difference in your game dev community?
Fill out our application form linked below!
Without our incredible volunteers, all of our events and opportunities would not be possible. Have a chance to build out your connections and learn more about the games industry across Alberta by submitting your application today.
GDX Volunteer Recruitment
Speaking of volunteers, we’re recruiting for GDX volunteers too! As North America’s largest independent games celebration, it takes a lot of hands to make GDX as successful as it is and we could not do it without the incredible volunteers who have made each and every GDX special. Interested in joining in on the volunteer-fun? There is a GDX specific volunteer form for you to fill out below. Don’t delay, for those in charge of their sections we’re finishing up recruitment for some key roles as soon as the beginning of March!
Please make sure to carefully choose which part of the event you would like to be a part of, the event is quite long but you are not required to volunteer for the entire event. Any and all help is appreciated.
Call for Artists
We are once again moving forward with the Alberta Steam Sale for 2025 and we are on the hunt for an artist to create this year’s Steam Sale artwork! We’re looking for an artist local to Alberta and one that is passionate about the game development scene. Please recommend someone or put yourself forward if you are interested by emailing [email protected].Please note: this is a paid opportunity as we do not believe in artists donating their skills and are dedicated to paying them for their work.
We do not accept AI generated artwork of any sort.
Last year’s design and assets were created by the incredible developer behind Little Hellions, Professor Onion, and included assets developed specifically to make our Steam page pop! Check out the page below from 2024 for some inspiration!
Community Events and News
(If you’d like your event or news featured, please reach out!)
Join Gaian and friends for a cozy get together for game devs and enthusiasts! Get ready for a night of comradery, learning, and shared love of game development! Seasoned developer or just starting out, this event is for you! No need to worry about networking, just have fun and spend the night with fellow creators!
Make sure to check in every second Wednesday of the month in case the location changes!
Upcoming & Recently ReleasedAlberta-Made Games
(If we missed your game, please let us know and we’re happy to share it with the community!)
🧅Spritz the Happy Onion - Upcoming ReleaseSpritz needs to bake a cake to ruin the appetite of the monster who's come to eat the moon! Guide Spritz the Happy Onion as he jumps off of background elements and into your heart. A delightful, surreal throwback to the momentum-based platformers of old.
You may have had a chance to check this out at GDX 2024 or Extra Life Game Day 2024, definitely check out the demo!
🔫Blood Running - Released November, 2024Blood Running is a stylish extraction shooter where you'll enter the cyber-wasteland, fight off creatures and bandits, loot valuable gear, and venture into the remnants of a world in ruins. Are you willing to bleed to survive, Blood Runner?
Dead Unicorn’s first game, Return, was featured at GDX 2022!
🐲Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Released October, 2024
Unite the Veilguard and defy the gods in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, an immersive single-player RPG where you become the leader others believe in.
🐈CatboyZOOM - Released into Early Access January, 2025Become a catboy and zoom through the many handcrafted worlds in this FPS Platforming Speedrunner! Master your control over the Source-inspired movement system and leave your best times for others to challenge!
CatboyZOOM was featured at GDX 2024, try to beat your score!
🦛Quartet - Upcoming ReleaseA series of unlikely train robberies. A mysterious deck of cards. A fleet of deadly airships. An accidental mage. Choose from four stories, in any order, and discover how they intertwine in this turn-based RPG.
Did you get a chance to try it out at GDX 2024 or pick up some sweet stickers? Wishlist the game now to make sure you are the first to know when it’s released.
Upcoming International Events
There are many upcoming international events for the gaming world.
IAA will be attending the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) in San Francisco from March 17-21, 2025. If you would like to connect, please reach out.
For a full list of games conferences and events, we recommend checking out Game Conference Guide below which is curated by Pavol Buday, former Reboot Red director and supporter of the Alberta game development community.
We're thrilled to embark on another year of seeing the amazing creativity, collaboration, and innovation from our community. Stay connected with Interactive Arts Alberta for the latest updates, events, and opportunities to thrive in this dynamic industry.
See you at the next event!
Warm regards,
Madison and IAA Team
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