Last week's GDC was postponed after companies began pulling out due to concerns about the coronavirus, which unfortunately put many developers in a bind; GDC passes have been refunded, but there are many other costs to going to the event as well as the time and effort spent preparing demos and presentations .

To help alleviate this burden, Wings Interactive has worked with several companies to establish a GDC Relief Fund. Developers can apply through the website, and recipients will be selected based on the estimated financial impact of the postponement.

"Such a sudden GDC postponement is completely unprecedented, and we are amazed at how quickly the gaming industry has banded together to help independent game developers who are suffering as a result," said Kasia Curran, co-founder of Wings. Furthermore, gamedev.world will be launching a fundraising drive from March 27 through April 3, with all donations going to the GDC Relief Fund. Our hope is that the GDC Relief Fund will make it easier for individuals and small teams who have been disproportionately affected to address recent developments.

Some of the funding and publishing partners sponsoring the Fund offer online meetings in the absence of in-person meetings that would otherwise take place at the GDC: Wings Interactive, Raw Fury, Modern Wolf, Versus Evil, 11 bit studios, and United Label are accepting pitches via an application form on their websites.

This is not the only program helping developers hit hard by the deferral. The gaming industry conference Reboot Develop Blue is now offering 50 passes and 20 Indie Expo slots; Reboot Develop Blue will be held in Dubrovnik in April, but passes can also be used for Reboot Develop Red in Banff in October.

While there is a long list of cancelled or postponed gaming events, many are still running; ESA confirmed that E3 2020, which is not until June, is going "full speed ahead," but ESA remains vigilant and says it is watching the situation closely.