December 2025: The Ground Before the Breakthrough

This year didn’t whisper. It cracked. It shuddered. It tested every indie dev’s resolve.

And somehow, through all of it, something real started forming under our feet.

You can feel it too, can’t you?

That shift.

That pull.

That sense that 2026 isn’t waiting for permission to be different.

Neither are we.

Game Dev Local has never been about noise. We’ve always been about the builders. The weirdos. The believers. The ones still standing at the end of the year with tired eyes and stubborn hope anyway.

So here it is.

Your December rallying cry.

Your invitation to stay close while the ground gets ready to move.

GDLX26 Applications Are Open – And Already Charging Forward

GDLX is back, not bigger… but denser!

Sharper.

More intentional.

You can feel it in the submissions already piling in.

Studios from across the UK (and more than a few from beyond) are treating this showcase like the moment to plant their flag.

If you’re an indie team with something worth showing, don’t wait.

February comes fast.

Our slots fill faster.

This is the show where devs become known.

Where friendships turn into collaborations.

Where someone discovers the game that will consume their next three months.

If you want in, get your submission in.

If you want to watch it happen, get your ticket early.

Stay close.

GDLX26

Global Game Jam: The UK’s Heartbeat Starts Here

Our GGJ site with Goldsmiths is already buzzing.

Twenty-five signups before the campaign even warmed up.

And we both know what happens next.

Teams form.

Chaos brews.

Absolute magic drops on itch in 48 hours and makes someone’s whole year feel worth it.

If you're reading this and debating whether you’re “ready”…

You’re not.

No one ever is.

That’s exactly why you should join.

Online or IRL, this is the most welcoming, chaotic, empowering corner of the UK jam scene.

Come build something messy and brilliant with us.

2025 Indie Games Wrap-Up: The Year the Underdogs Fought Back

Indies didn’t just survive 2025.

They defined it.

A few standout beats to close the year:

• Player-funded momentum rose as more devs built audiences early and openly

• Stylised, small-team projects outperformed expectations across Steam and console

• Narrative returned swinging, with emotional AAAs failing to land while indies filled the gap

• Tools matured faster than pipelines, letting tiny teams produce work that used to require studios

• Community became the differentiator, not marketing budgets

• And maybe most importantly…Studios stopped hiding their struggles and started talking honestly again.

This was the year indies reminded the industry:

Innovation doesn’t live in boardrooms.

It lives in bedrooms, corners of libraries, studio basements and Discord channels at 3 AM.

If 2025 was the fight, 2026 is the build.

Wider Games Industry Highlights: A Year of Tectonic Shifts

While indies carved their space, the global industry reshaped itself around them.

• Publishers downsized while scouts searched for safer bets and tighter scopes

• New mid-tier funding models emerged bridging the gap between grants and full publishing deals

• Engine wars got spicy with tools competing to prove who truly supports teams at scale

• Live service fatigue peaked, forcing studios back toward complete, crafted experiences

• Talent moved. A lot. And small studios gained access to veterans previously out of reach

• And the biggest move of all…Players rediscovered trust in smaller creators.

The industry isn’t collapsing.

It’s resetting.

And resets create openings big enough for indies to drive whole careers through.

So What’s Next?

We’re not promising easy.

We’re promising real.

2026 is the year GDL stops being just a community and becomes an anchor.

A force.

A home for the builders who refuse to wait for validation to start making noise.

We’re bringing you:

• A sharper GDLX

• A thriving GGJ

• More regional support

• More mentorship

• More support

• More platforms for you to show the world what you’re creating

Stay close.

Because the ground is moving.

And we’re moving with it.

About the Author

Stuart De Ville is the founder of Game Dev Local and one of the UK’s most active champions of the indie games scene.

A long-time creative, community builder, and studio leader, Stuart has spent years helping developers grow, connect, and navigate the real challenges of making games.

He’s the force behind GDLX and the UK’s largest Global Game Jam site, driving initiatives that amplify emerging studios and strengthen the ecosystem from the ground up.

His work sits at the intersection of creativity, resilience, and deliberate support for the people who make games.

Stuart writes from lived experience, hard-earned lessons, and a belief that the future of this industry belongs to the communities that build it together.