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Indie Game Expo Launches Developer Residency and Investor Demo Day

Indie Game Expo Debuts Year-Long Developer Residency and Investor Demo Day to Accelerate Global Indie Talent

San Francisco, CA – November 24, 2025

The Indie Game Expo (IGE) today launched two permanent programs—a Developer Residency and a quarterly Investor Demo Day—to close the persistent gap between early-stage studios and later-stage capital. Applications for the first residency cohort open December 2, 2025, with the inaugural Demo Day scheduled for March 19, 2026, at Fort Mason Center.

The twin initiatives arrive as venture flow into indie games returns to pre-2022 levels. According to a July 2025 InvestGame report, global private investments in indie and mid-core studios reached $1.9 billion in the first half of 2025, up 37 percent year-on-year, with the median seed round climbing to $2.8 million—a 22 percent increase that outpaces the broader tech sector (InvestGame, 2025).

“Developers constantly ask us for two things: affordable production space and a direct line to investors who actually answer e-mails,” said Elena Park, Chief Executive Officer of Indie Game Expo. “By embedding a year-long residency inside a live expo brand, then guaranteeing each resident a slot on Demo Day, we’re removing the friction that kills promising games before they ever reach market.”

The Developer Residency will host 12 teams per year inside a 14,000-square-foot former warehouse on San Francisco’s Pier 2 retrofitted with motion-capture bays, dev kits for every major platform, and 24-hour security. Residents receive $30,000 in non-dilutive stipends, cloud rendering credits valued at $18,000, and weekly mentorship from alumni of Thatgamecompany, InnerSloth, and Kitfox Games. In exchange, IGE takes zero equity; the only requirement is that teams ship a vertical slice in time for Demo Day.

“We already incubate games for three days at our annual festival,” Park added. “Now we’re stretching that energy across 52 weeks, pairing it with legal clinics, tax workshops, and mental-health stipends—because sustainable studios make better art.”

The companion Investor Demo Day will convene 60 accredited funds—including Kowloon Nights, Krafton’s new Indie Seed Fund, and Klei Entertainment’s investment arm—each committing to $500,000 minimum checks over the following 12 months. Presenting teams receive real-time Steam wishlist analytics powered by GameDiscoverCo and priority review through Steam’s new Indie Fast-Track portal.

South Korea’s IndieCraft 2025 piloted a similar model in August, awarding Writers Games the Grand Prize after its light-manipulation puzzler THANKS, LIGHT. wowed judges; the studio subsequently closed a $1.1 million seed round within six weeks of the event (

). IGE aims to replicate—and scale—that success for the North American market.

Developers interested in the residency can apply at www.indiegamesexpo.com/residency beginning December 2. Selection criteria emphasize creative risk, technical feasibility, and market potential; applicants must submit a playable prototype, a six-minute pitch video, and a post-launch content roadmap. Finalists will be announced January 20, 2026, with the program commencing February 9.

About Indie Game Expo

Founded in 2012, Indie Game Expo is the longest-running U.S. festival dedicated solely to independently developed interactive entertainment. The organization’s annual showcase attracts 45,000 attendees, 1,200 media representatives, and 450 exhibiting studios from 42 countries, generating an estimated $22 million in direct economic impact for the host city.