AT&T Unlocked Games
AT&T LAUNCHES FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND U.S. GAME DEVELOPER COMPETITION FOR WOMEN WITH “AT&T UNLOCKED GAMES”
Continuing Its Dedication to Gender Equality, AT&T Commits to Elevating Women in Game Development with Groundbreaking Platform
Developers Can Submit Entries at www.ATTUnlockedGames.com Starting Today through Oct. 26
AT&T is calling for women game developers and women-led development teams to showcase their talent in an all-new competition geared toward increasing women’s participation and visibility in the gaming world.
Today through Oct. 26, AT&T Unlocked Games will be taking open submissions from women developers across the U.S. Six will be chosen to participate in a livestream development pitch for a chance to receive $50,000 toward the final development of their game, mentorship and additional support to elevate their game – and their talent – within the industry.
In 2019, only 24% of respondents from a survey of game developers identified as women in the United States.i But women account for 46% of all game enthusiastsii. With AT&T Unlocked Games, AT&T is elevating, empowering and connecting women developers and women gamers to bring their creations to the world of gaming and inspire more women to do the same.
“The disparity in the number of women developers to women gamers hit home for us,” said Shiz Suzuki, assistant vice president, AT&T – Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing. “As an active member of this industry, we saw an opportunity to not only support underrepresented developers but help bring their games and stories to life through our position as an endemic brand in the gaming space.”
Hosted by well-known streamers AnneMunition and Bnans, and simulcast on AT&T Twitter on Dec. 2, the six finalists will demo and pitch their game live on Twitch to a team of End Bosses, experts from across the gaming spectrum who will select a Grand Prize winner and Runner-Up. Additionally, fans will have the chance to vote for their Gamers' Choice winner.
The Grand Prize winner will receive:
- $50,000 to fund final game development and/or offset game development costs.
- A dedicated activation, AT&T Unlocked Games at Dreamhack 2021, inspired by their game brought to life by AT&T, where they can demonstrate and debut their work. They'll also receive complimentary travel, VIP attendance and spending cash for themself and a guest.
- Mentorship and paid lifetime membership to International Game Developers Association (IGDA).
- Promotional and marketing support from AT&T, including a $3,000 credit to be used toward AT&T products like phones, tablets and hotspots to help keep their teams connected, test on mobile, work on design elements or capture their game in action.
In the weeks and months following the competition, AT&T plans to document the winners throughout the development process, providing exclusive behind-the-scenes content and a peek inside their journey across AT&T owned social channels, culminating at DreamHack 2021. Pending COVID-19 restrictions, AT&T will create an AT&T Unlocked Games at Dreamhack 2021 experience that will allow gamers to interact with the AT&T Unlocked Games Showcase winner, runner-up and Gamers' Choice winner.
In addition to IGDA, AT&T Unlocked Games is collaborating with game developer organizations such as Society of Women Engineers and Women Who Code to help promote the competition and drive submissions.
Developers can learn more and submit their entries at www.ATTUnlockedGames.com starting today through Oct. 26. Follow along with @ATT and #ATTUnlockedGames to see which developers are chosen, their journeys and to learn more about the End Bosses.
i State of the Industry: Mental Health in Gaming, Take This., 2019
ii Women Account for 46% of All Game Enthusiasts: Watching Video Content and Esports Has Changed How Women and Men Alike Engage with Games, Newzoo Gamer Segmentation, 2019