The IGDA Incubation SIG will present the first international census of game incubation and accelerator programs at Gamescom 2026 this week, aiming to give the industry its first broad picture of the organizations that support emerging studios.
The research draws on responses from 84 leaders and managers of incubation and acceleration initiatives around the world. Results will be presented for the first time at the IGDA Incubation SIG’s Gamescom meetup.
“We know that incubators and accelerators are playing an increasingly important role in the games industry, but we haven’t had a clear picture of the ecosystem itself,” said Dr. Pedro Santoro Zambon. “This census is an attempt to understand who is doing this work, how they are doing it, and what challenges they face.”
Chairperson Sho Sato will open with updates on the group’s work, while European chapter lead Linn Søvig will address international collaboration between developer-support organizations.
Vee Pendergrast, industry development manager at New Zealand’s Centre of Digital Excellence, will discuss approaches to supporting Indigenous developers and other underrepresented communities, including CODE’s work with Māori and Pasifika developers.
Games industry veteran Jason Della Rocca will speak on “inception publishing,” the idea of equipping studios early on with the knowledge to build sustainable businesses and retain control of their IP.