The past couple of years have been very challenging for game developers, and the IGDA Foundation is navigating these turbulent waters while trying to expand its reach.
If you’re unfamiliar with the IGDA Foundation, it’s the sister organization of the International Game Developers Association, and a global charitable organization that strives to serve underrepresented and marginalized developers alongside people interested in a career within the gaming industry.
It does so with mentorship and outreach, and continues to do so even in the challenging conditions created by the gaming industry job crisis that has been causing countless layoffs and studio closures pretty much at every level.
To learn more about the organization’s activities, the challenges it is facing, and its plans going forward, Simulation Daily interviewed Executive Director Alyssa Walles, who shared plenty of interesting insights.
We hear about the challenges developers are facing in finding jobs and what the IGDA Foundation could do if it could find the funding, alongside its efforts to reach out to underrepresented developers not just socially, but also on the regional level.
Walles also talks about the Port Quest initiative to support developers who would like to port their games to Android.
Without further ado, we leave you with the interview, which you can find in the video below.
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f you’d like to watch more of our interviews from Gamescom 2025, you can check out our conversation with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann, a chat with Invincible VS Executive Producer Mike Willette.
We also have an interview with Lost Hellden developers Julien Bourgeois and Mario Rizzo, another interesting chat about Reaper Actual with Distinct Possibility Studios Chief Creative Officer Matt Higby, and one with Heroes of Might and Magic: Older Era Narrative Lead and Localization Manager Katharina Viveros Shevchuk and Community Manager and Junior Marketing Manager Alexandru “Kyraha.”
Of course, plenty more is coming, so stay tuned on Simulation Daily for more interviews and previews from the show.
