SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!
The bundle is now up for sale, and we are not accepting new submissions. The only additions are those who had trouble earlier in the process. Thanks for your understanding!
(original message below)
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Hey all. As you may have heard, we're starting a bundle to help folks affected by the invasion of Ukraine. We're an international team split across Europe and the US, with friends in Ukraine, and teammates directly affected by Putin's regime.
Just as with the Bundle for Palestinian Aid and the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, what we do as game developers can have a very positive effect on the world. This is one of the greatest things about itch.io - even if your game isn't a best seller, you have the opportunity to help people in need by sheer volume.
Of course, we do also want some higher profile games in here in order to increase the perceived value for the buyer! But I want to encourage anyone to submit, and to feel like they've made a true contribution.
So: right now we're doing a call for submissions to the bundle. I would like to have all submissions in by EOD Friday March 4, 11:59 PM PDT. That's 7:59 GMT Saturday the 5th for easier time zone orientation. The intention is to launch the bundle the following Monday, March 7.
Here's the important stuff:
- paid games only. There has been too much back and forth about free and paid games in past bundles, and the fact is some folks will be buying this bundle because of the "value" for better or for worse. More free games also increases the vetting process on our end dramatically. So for this bundle, no free games please.
- please submit your game as a link in reply to this posting. a script will pick everything up. Your submission indicates consent to publish the game in the bundle.
- you MUST be signed in to the itch.io dev account that is associated with your game when you submit here, otherwise it won't be counted.
- You don't need to say anything else in your post, but if you do it's fine!! It won't affect the script.
As of now, the charities chosen are:
International Medical Corps. https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/country/ukraine/
They provide medical aid and training in the field, and have ongoing operations in Ukraine now. They have very low fundraising overhead (1% of income), with 89% of donations going to medical aid and 10% to administration. Honestly I don't mind them paying their workers.
Voices of Children. https://voices.org.ua/en/who-we-are/
This is a Ukrainian organization that helps children cope with the horrors of war, PTSD, readjusting to school, and things like that. As they are not an international organization I don't have insight into their financials, but they have a really positive message, they've been in foreign news so may have had some vetting there, and I really wanted to help an org that is actually Ukrainian. If anyone has information I should know about them, please reach out.
Funds will be split 50/50 between these two organizations, unless I wind up hearing anything to change my mind.
In our charity selection process the main considerations were:
- do they have experience operating in Ukraine? (If not it's unlikely they could get aid to Ukraine in the midst of this. We've seen a few orgs getting a lot of money that I'm unconvinced have any direct humanitarian aid experience, or ability to get resources into the country.)
- are they an accredited organization?
- do they (as far as we can tell) have low overhead?
- is the support they provide humanitarian-oriented/nonlethal?
We are also wanted to split with a charity that would have a longer lasting effect as the war continues, or ideally ends.
As a side note, if you're wondering why we're involved, we were participants in the Bundle for Palestinian Aid and the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, and both of those bundles went very well. With some insight into the process and some volunteers behind us, we felt confident we could make this work. We've also had discussions with itch.io, and they have a lot of processes in place that help make this easier. But I'm sure there will be some hiccups, so please bear with us as we sort through it.
FAQ (parts of this FAQ were borrowed/modified from the bundle for palestinian aid!)
How does the money stuff work?
The money goes to itch.io (it does not pass through us or our company), who then gives it directly to the charity organization.
Can I submit non-commercial/free projects?
Not this time, sorry! As mentioned above, the free aspects of prior bundles caused a lot of consternation, and winds up diluting the perceived "value" of the bundle. There was also a lot of debate about whether free games in a bundle like this wound up becoming self promotion. All of that sucks but we're not out from under capitalism just yet, so we're avoiding it in this bundle. The games can be cheap, just not free.
Can I submit multiple things?
Yes, but please select no more than 4 projects/items, remembering that all must be paid. You can put them all in one post, or one at a time, either way it'll get picked up by the script!
Can I submit non-games?
Yes, any project page that has a URL on itch.io is good, as long as it's paid content.
Can I submit adult content?
No, sorry! We want this bundle to be media friendly for maximum reach and you know how people get. Just use your discretion.
Can I submit my project after the bundle has started?
No, sorry! The bundle is huge already.
Will Steam (or other external keys) be given with a purchase?
No. It's too difficult to coordinate and can wind up inviting scammers. Only itch.io projects will be considered for this bundle.
I'm worried people might already have my game from another bundle.
That's okay. Obviously we want as much new stuff as possible but there will be new people buying this bundle, and there will be new games in it. So don't be shy.
Aren't you being a little strict with content compared to prior bundles?
We are, based on prior experiences from other bundles. Alanna had to take a month off work to get the Bundle for Palestinian Aid off the ground, so we're learning from that to make this happen faster and more efficiently, while making the most money possible for these charities. We hope you understand!
Will you be vetting games?
Yes. I have a small group of people who have volunteered to help, and we will be checking whether games have any content that could be considered detrimental to the cause.
THAT'S IT!
THANK YOU!! May Ukraine remain free!