Since 2014, the NYU Game Center Incubator has helped transform small independent game projects into polished, launched games. With the help of our faculty as well as a dedicated group of industry advisors, the program provides time, space, guidance and resources to help set teams up for success. This year, the NYU Game Center Incubator is restructuring to increase support for a wider variety of games and a wider variety of end goals, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach to success. We want to connect teams to the support they need to launch games, start studios, and to build strong game communities.
The Incubator is a part-time program that runs from September 2026-August 2027, starting with in-person workshops and co-working during Autumn, and then switching to remote collaboration platforms for the remainder of the year.
THE 2026-2027 APPLICATION IS NOW OPEN UNTIL JUNE 5th!
Please apply to the upcoming Incubator Cohort using this form. Application is open until June 5th, 11:59pm Eastern Time.
You can stay up to date on all Game Center Incubator communications via our newsletter and social media.
Participants of the 2026 Incubator receive:
- Funding – $15,000 per team/game
- Mentorship – A committed Executive Producer
- Workshops – Practical workshops with industry experts
- Community Coworking space – Onsite collaboration space during Fall 2026, in downtown Brooklyn
- Advisory Board – One-on-one or small group meetings, pitch practice, playtesting, etc with Incubator Advisors throughout the year
- Exposure in Festivals (PlayNYC, GDC, etc..)
Full details of the assessment criteria and participating project responsibilities are available here.
For the FAQ page see here.
The NYU Game Center and the Incubator are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and safe space for applicants and participants. We welcome and highly encourage designers and developers from all backgrounds to apply.
NYU Game Center Incubator Reel editing by John Hwang
Incubator Impact
The pilot program of the NYU Game Center Incubator ran the summer of 2014 with a group of nine MFA graduates working across six games. The program has expanded since, and with support from an Empire State Development Grant we have been able to extend the program to include external projects from the wider game development community.
Since the first cohort in 2014 the Incubator has generated a wide range of success stories. Softbody was backed by Indie Fund, and launched on PS4. APE OUT, also backed by Indie Fund, was published by Devolver Digital, launching on PC and Nintendo Switch. Airplane Mode secured a publishing deal from AMC and launched on Steam, and A Memoir Blue was published by Annapurna on Steam, Switch, PS4/5 and Xbox Games Pass. Rewordable, The Splits, and Sumer all exceeded their Kickstarter goals. Beglitched won the Student Game IGF in 2016, in a year where 3 of 6 finalists, Circa Infinity and Ape Out, were also Finalists in the category. Incubator games have won the Student IGF awad, been PAX10 finalists, IndieCade winners, received dozens of major and minor iOS features, and were written about in Kotaku, Killscreen, and Wired.
Industry Partners & Advisory Board
The Incubator gives talented developers practical help and support to address the creative, technical, marketing, legal, financial, and other production challenges of launching their project. The program helps game makers develop the skills required to lead a successful career in games.
To provide these resources, we build genuine partnerships with individuals and organizations from the games industry. We collaborate with a group of carefully selected partners who work with the Game Center to develop the Incubator program and advise the teams. This group of volunteers includes representatives from technology companies and publishers, game designers, lawyers, consultants, journalists, and other game industry experts who will lend their expertise to help the developers launch successful games.
APPLICATION LINK:
Please apply to the upcoming Incubator Cohort using this form.
Application is open until June 5th, 11:59pm Eastern Time.