Projects from developers affected by the seven-country travel ban may still find their way to GDC thanks to Devolver Digital.

A handful of gamers are sure to recognize Devolver Digital as one of the gaming industry’s more…”eccentric” publishers. Based out of Austin, TX, the wild nature of their products is reflected back onto the company: Under the leadership of the fictitious “Fork Parker”, Devolver publishes and distributes not just games, but also thought-provoking Indie short films of both the emotional and deranged variety; the company tends to distance themselves from the standard convention displays, as seen with their lavish Shadow Warrior 2 display at QuakeCon 2016 and the infamous totally-not-E3-booth (i.e. a parking lot adjacent to the LA Convention Center and Hooters).

Devolver Digital released a statement earlier today, announcing that their GDC 2017 “Devolver Underground” booth will be open for those unable to attend due to the recent “travel ban” issued by POTUS Donald Trump; an Executive Order signed last week essentially restricted travel of citizens and refugees from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia, regardless of their occupation or current place of residence. A new statement from Devolver Co-Founder Mike Wilson claims the company is “happy to have the opportunity to help create a bridge in some small way” that still showcases the talents of game developers around the world:

“One of my favourite things about games is that they are truly global in nature, transcending borders and cultural differences more seamlessly than other art forms, and working with different people from all over the world with wildly varying backgrounds has been a huge part of Devolver’s success and of our personal enjoyment of what we do. We are happy to have the opportunity to help create a bridge in some small way for some of the talented developers who will unfortunately be unable to attend this year’s GDC.”

The official announcement from Devolver notes that developer submissions “should be sent ASAP as space is limited”, but those who are presently unable to attend can submit their studio/developer name, country of origin, and a description of the project to “fork@devolverdigital.com”.

GDC 2017 will be held from 2/27-3/3 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Devolver Digital’s recent titles include Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior 2, Croteam’s Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, Genital Jousting, Mother Russia Bleeds, and the upcoming Absolver, Minit, STRAFE and Ruiner.

Source: Devolver Digital
Image courtesy of Devolver Digital