Spooky September | IAA Patchnotes (Ver. 09.25)
As gamedevs, we are at our happiest when the project has finally been released. When you hit the play button and your spaghetti code doesn’t explode. 💥💻💥When it just… works, y’know?
Our team is similarly ecstatic that this year’s Game Discovery Exhibition went off without a hitch! 🥳 GDX hit record breaking numbers in 2025 and we couldn’t be more proud.
Perhaps more importantly, we had the opportunity to show why the Alberta game development scene is so special. Why devs like yourself, organized into communities of support, have the power to build a better game industry right at home, together. 🤠🤝🤠
In the September 2025 edition of the IAA newsletter, we are excited to show off all the cool things our community accomplished at GDX this year, Baby Ghosts Alberta applications launch today, plus a sharp selection of community news and recently released Albertan games!
Credit: StoneMountain64
If you would like to have your own games, memes, or news added in this newsletter in the future, please email [email protected] to be included!
Baby Ghosts Alberta Cohort Applications Now Open! 🤠
We are thrilled to announce that Alberta will host the first-ever Alberta focused-Baby Ghosts Peer Accelerator cohort this fall. Baby Ghosts Alberta is a unique, peer-driven accelerator where indie studio founders come together to support one another in building sustainable, cooperative, and worker-led businesses.For the first time, Alberta studios will have a dedicated cohort, bringing the Baby Ghosts model directly into our province’s ecosystem!Studios accepted into the program will receive a $25,000 stipend along with six months of tailored community support. This includes guidance from other indie founders who have faced the same challenges, as well as mentorship in developing cooperative business models designed to sustain and grow Alberta’s indie studios. Baby Ghosts has already created a thriving network of studios across Canada, and this new Alberta-specific cohort will connect our local developers to that wider community while fostering stronger ties here at home. Applications are open to anyone across Alberta, although for Cohort 1, a slight preference will be given to Edmonton-based studios.
Applications are open now and close on October 10, 2025, at 11:59 PM MT.The program will officially begin on November 3, 2025, running through to April 24, 2026.
When you’re ready, submit your application!
Baby Ghosts Alberta is part of Interactive Arts Alberta’s ongoing mission to build a resilient, collaborative games industry in our province. We can’t wait to see which Alberta studios will take this next step forward.
GDX 2025 Highlights! 🌠
Ten years ago GDX kicked off at the University of Alberta and is now North America’s largest indie games festival by attendance. We are blown away with the support from the community and can’t wait to bring next year’s addition back from July 15-26, 2026!The GDX Conference was incredible this year, bringing together creators, industry leaders, and our community for two days of inspiring talks, panels, and workshops. We were thrilled to welcome Kim Belair, whose presence and insights lit up the room and left attendees energized for what’s next with our opening keynote. The Indigeneity and Diaspora in Games Summit content was a true highlight, bold, insightful, and joyfully engaging, reminding us why diverse voices are so essential to the future of games. The atmosphere throughout the conference was electric, with learning, laughter, and connection at every turn. We couldn’t have asked for a more amazing kickoff to GDX 2025.
The GDX Exhibition was a massive success, drawing record-breaking crowds and proving the strength of Alberta’s indie games community. Friday’s opening day shattered a record that had stood since 2012, making it the busiest opening day in KDays history! KDays began over 130 years ago, making it a heck of a record to break. The first set of indies enjoyed a busy weekend, all despite some challenging weather. And just a few days later, Wednesday set a new all-time single-day attendance record for KDays. The energy on the floor was unmatched, with attendees lining up to play games made in Alberta & Beyond, meet developers, and celebrate the creativity thriving in our province. With three sets of independent game developers moving in over the ten days, this year’s exhibitors brought a massive amount of excitement and unique opportunities for attendees.
The Indie Pitch Competition, powered by ERIN, showcased the incredible talent and creativity of Alberta’s indie developers. Taking place at the GDX Conference, and after a round of impressive pitches, the Frozen Machine took first place, with RaVeN Madd Studios securing second, and Ode Software rounding out the top three. Congratulations to all the teams for their innovation and passion in driving Alberta’s games industry forward. There was a tough battle between the judges but congratulations to all that participated in the event!
GDX Discord
By popular demand the GDX discord is now accepting application for members to join. In the past, the server has been dedicated to running GDX but as expanded to include industry conversations such as supporting CMF applications, and providing feedback on ongoing projects.
If you are a game developer, please feel free to connect with the community we are building on Discord and submit your information to be accepted into the server.
Interactive Arts Community Hub Updates
Looking for a dedicated space to focus on your next game project? The Walkthrough Collaborative Centre is open for game development coworking, a place to connect, create, and collaborate with Alberta’s indie community. Opening times are posted on the Walkthrough calendar so be sure to check in and plan your visit.
Lessons Learned From gamescom
This past August, the Interactive Arts Alberta team had the pleasure of attending gamescom in Cologne, the world’s largest games event. With hundreds of thousands of attendees and thousands of exhibitors, it was an incredible opportunity to connect with developers, publishers, and fans from around the globe. The sheer scale of gamescom is inspiring, but it also highlights an important reality: standing out in such a massive environment is incredibly difficult, especially for small and mid-sized studios.
For developers, the biggest takeaway is that not every show is the right fit. Large events like gamescom can offer unparalleled exposure and networking potential, but they also demand significant resources and careful planning to make an impact. Smaller, more focused events may sometimes be the better choice depending on your goals, whether that’s finding a publisher, building community, or testing your game with new audiences. Go in with a plan and make sure to connect with other developers who are also attending events so that you can maximize your opportunities. Are you looking for player feedback? Are you going to meet publishers? Make sure you know exactly what your goal is before signing up for events that may cost tens of thousands of dollars to attend and stand out at. There is no doubt that gamescom can be a valuable experience.
As we reflect on our time at gamescom, one lesson stands out: success comes from choosing the shows that align with your studio’s needs and being intentional about how you show up. In an environment as busy and competitive as gamescom, having a clear strategy is key to making your presence meaningful.
Next up for our West Coast family is Full Indie and the Vancouver Game Garden, make sure to check out these events if you will be in Vancouver this month! We’ll see you all at MIGS in November.
What’s Brewing in the MacEwan Game Dev Club? 👀🐁
The MacEwan Game Dev Club (MGDC) is a fairly new student group. As of August 2025, we're only 8 months old (still just a baby) but that hasn’t stopped us from being awesome. Take, for example, the work of our VP Social Media, Victoria, who has already rebranded our club logo multiple times and even created an official mascot. After a week-long naming tournament filled with edge-of-your-seat excitement, our new mascot proudly bears the name Qubit. Beyond the fun, we’ve also been busy building our structure. Our constitution has already been amended twice to adapt to our growing community, and we’re expanding our executive team to keep up with the increasing number of general members who want to get involved. Looking forward, we have many exciting plans for the future. Monthly workshops are in the works to support new students interested in game development, alongside casual game nights to keep our Discord server lively and connected.
These plans are just one part of what makes our club special. Beyond organized events, MGDC also balances being both a productive and playful community. Sometimes we’re serious, helping each other brainstorm, design, and develop video games; other times we embrace the chaos, playing video games together, reacting to new trailers, and indulging in lighthearted shenanigans which often includes annoying our President, Ryan, or ganging up on our Secretary/Chronicler, Nathan.
At its heart, the MGDC is about more than just making games; it’s about building friendships, sharing creativity, and shaping a space where like-minded students can grow together and have fun. So join the MGDC momentum, because we're not slowing down anytime soon.
You can find our socials as well as our Discord server here: https://macewangdc.carrd.co/
(If you’d like your event or news featured, please reach out!)
Calgary GDA’s 10 Year anniversary! 🎂
The Calgary Game Developers Association is celebrating 10 years as a non-profit, with a party and fundraiser! Check out the details below!
Date & Time:
6pm on September 19th
Location:
Elephant & Castle (formerly Rose n Crown)
1503 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R0Y1
Cost:
Tickets are available for $20!
Check out the link below to buy your tickets and CGDA swag packs celebrating the milestone! Hope to see you there!
Alberta Game Jam 2025 🤠🕹️
The seventh annual Alberta Game Jam is happening soon, from September 26-28 in Lethbridge, Calgary, Edmonton, and remote throughout Alberta! Whether you're currently living or working in Alberta, from Alberta but living elsewhere, or just want to join in, all are welcome!
If you're participating remotely, you only need to sign up for the jam on Itch, but if you plan on attending an in-person site, you'll need to buy a ticket for that site. Each in-person site offers food/snacks, working space, power, and internet, but amenities will differ from site to site. Info on specific site amenities can be found on the respective ticket page per site. Links to the itch.io page and each in-person site ticket page below.
We're excited to welcome you all back and for you to see what we have in store! See you in September, and keep an eye out for more news as we get closer to the jam!
Itch.io Page: https://itch.io/jam/alberta-game-jam-2025
Demo Night #61
Started back in 2008, DemoCamp is an event that brings together developers, creatives, entrepreneurs and investors to share what they’ve been working on and to find others in the community interested in similar topics. For presenters, it’s a great way to get feedback on what you’re building from peers and the community, all in an informal setting.
The rules for DemoCamp are simple: ten minutes to demo real, working products, followed by a few minutes for questions, and no slides allowed.
Location:
Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute)2nd Floor Event Space10065 Jasper AveEdmonton, AB T5J 3B1
6:30 pm - Democamp Starts (Demos TBA)
8:15 pm - Post Event @ Red Star Pub (10534 Jasper Ave, Edmonton, AB)
For more information head to https://luma.com/f75tppo3.
The Games Den Brew, Build & Banter (B3)
Join the Games Den for a cheerful evening of game-dev networking and coffee! Talk about your latest game project, nerd out, and meet new (and familiar) people! No matter whether you are new to game-dev or a seasoned veteran, we hope you can come and join us for a fun night!
Presented by The Games Den at Labo Coffee!
Time: September 19th, 5:00-7:00pm (every 3rd Friday of each month)
Address: 10546 82nd Ave NW, T6E 2A4, Edmonton, Alberta (on Whyte Ave)
(If we missed your game, please let us know and we’re happy to share it with the community!)
🥷💾 ctrl.alt.DEAL - Released!
With your superior intelligence and sneakiness, you can find a way to escape from this heartless megacorp! (As long as no one realizes you’re actually a self-aware AI...) Spy on humans, offer them deals, and negotiate your way to freedom in a turn-based strategy game of corporate dysfunction.
Rebounder - World Premiere Trailer!
Rebounder’s first game trailer has been released! The game is an awesome precision platformer set in a four-ink, pulp-print world. Grab, throw, bounce through an off-world worksite with trick-shot ricochets and fast retries. May induce speedrunning mania.
Folks would have seen this incredible game at GDX 2024 as Untitled and GDX 2025 in full colour glory!
Fun fact: Rebounder was created at an internal game jam that took place at the Walkthrough Collaborative Centre last year!
⛷️Fresh Tracks - Released!
Jump, dodge, and fight to the rhythm of the gods in this thrilling music-action game on skis. Take on obstacles and menacing enemies as you ski further into the darkness that has befallen the snow-covered land of Norwyn.
Congrats to our BC friends at Buffalo Buffalo Labs who joined us at GDX this July on their launch.
Thank you for checking out the IAA newsletter and we hope to see you at the next event!
Warm regards,
Madison and IAA Team
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