Rockstar Sponsors Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games, Focusing on Black Developers

Published: July 20, 2020 3:04 PM /

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Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games Sponsored Rockstar Games slice

The Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games line-up is going to be sponsored by Rockstar Games and this year's program is going to focus on black developers.

"As longtime New Yorkers, we are proud to partner with Play NYC and the Graffiti Games initiative,” Rockstar Games Founder Sam Houser in a press release. "We look forward to seeing the creations from this year’s nominees.”

Rockstar Games is best known for being the creators of the ongoing Grand Theft Auto franchise, a series of games that has brought in billions of dollars and remains wildly popular. Now, the company is using some of its power to help highlight five handpicked black game developers.

Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games Sponsored Rockstar Games slice

What Is the Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games Program?

If you're unfamiliar with Play NYC, it's New York City's biggest dedicated gaming convention that was first launched in 2017. While other, more established New York conventions have larger audiences, Play NYC is 100% dedicated to video games and tabletop games and it's the biggest place to go if that's all you want to see.

One key focus of the convention is indie games. While big developers do make a showing — Avalanche Studios and Epic Games have shown up for multiple years now — a good chunk of the presentations on the show floor are from indie devs.

A handful of these devs are in the "Graffiti Games" program, a special selection of 5–6 game developers based on a certain theme. 2019's lineup focused on the LGBTQ+ community, and the Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games lineup will focus on black developers. This year's roster will be curated by Decoy Games, the developers of the upcoming PC and PS4 title Swimsanity!.

"We started the Graffiti Games initiative at the first Play NYC in 2017 as a way to amplify the voices of game creators through commissioned games that transform the space of the live convention like graffiti on a wall," said Play NYC founder and CEO Dan Butchko. "Since then, we’ve spotlighted immigrant and LGBTQ+ developers through this program. We’re honored to amplify the important voices of Black game creators through this year’s Graffiti Games."

You'll be able to see the Play NYC 2020 Graffiti Games completely for free as part of a weeklong online-only show from August 10–16, 2020. You can find out more about this convention at play-nyc.com.

What's your favorite game from a black game developer? Will you miss getting hands-on with games at conventions? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
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One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N