"Draknek" (aka Alan Hazelden) is the familiar designer and/or publisher name behind many classic puzzle games: Sokobond, Cosmic Express, A Monster's Expedition, Bonfire Peaks and the much-anticipated LOK Digital are among the many titles bearing the Draknek & Friends mark of quality. Now it's also the name behind a recurring program aimed at providing much-needed funding to underrepresented developers working in our relatively-niche scene of thinky puzzles.
The Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant has recently opened applications for a new wave of individual grants that will be awarded to 6 game developers who are specifically working on "thinky puzzle games." Anyone interested in applying can do so at the link on the grant's homepage, and applications are open from now until the deadline of October 7th. Here's the mission statement of the initiative in their own words:
Lasting from December 2024 - 2025, the grant program will offer 6 recipients a grant of $15,000 USD each and a year’s one-on-one mentorship with some of the industry’s leading thinky puzzle game designers, developers and publishers. These grants are intended to support developers typically unsupported by the global games industry, including but not limited to developers from groups including where English is not a first language, people of colour, LGBTQIA, and disabled or neurodiverse. There are no geographical restrictions to applicants.
The first wave of New Voices grants went out in 2022, and if you're curious, you can see a list of the chosen games & developers in our write-up here. (Several of the games featured have released since, and at least one of them I'd consider to be a recent hidden-gem favorite in the community.)
Draknek & Friends expect to make the announcement about 2024 grantee selections this December after applications close on October 7th. The grant website provides many more details in the form of a long FAQ, including what kinds of games they're looking to fund, the terms of the funding, and who should apply.
If you're someone who's working on a game that you consider to be thinky and could use some financial support, why not send in an application: just as their announcement reads, I'd "strongly encourage" you to go for it.
Disclaimer: Thinky Games is part of the Carina Initiatives and may have professional relationships with individuals and businesses related to the subject of this article. Please see our Editorial Policy for details.
