Black Voices in Gaming Announces Xperience Excellence Accelerator Cohort
Black Voices in Gaming, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing Black representation and inclusion within the games industry, is excited to announce the game developers who will be joining its inaugural Xperience Excellence Accelerator (XEA), powered by Netflix Games.
The XEA is a first-of-its-kind accelerator program that combines industry education, networking, and funding for Black game developers with mobile game concepts.
According to co-founder Justin Woodward, “Since Black Voices in Gaming’s inception, our team has been continually pursuing new programs and partnerships to help raise visibility and opportunities for developers in the Black community. The evolution of Netflix in the gaming space and dedication to innovate in the industry is fresh and opens up opportunities to serve new audiences on a familiar platform which is exciting. It is great to be able to collaborate on this program with the cohort of talented developers in the Black Voices in Gaming community.”
The Importance of Diversity
The four studios participating in the inaugural Xperience Excellence Accelerator cohort are Weathered Sweater (USA), Gesinimo Games (UK), Oshoma Games (Nigeria), and SpaceSalad Studios (South Africa). Each team will receive $20,000 in grants to support prototype development for pitching to potential investors, publishers, and partners.
This accelerator program reflects the growing engagement of the games industry worldwide with issues of diversity, both in-game and behind the scenes. Many studios have introduced dedicated teams to foster an inclusive workforce. It is crucial to have diverse teams in the industry as gaming is a hobby for everyone, and an inclusive workforce can lead to more positive representation. Mobile gaming’s accessibility and popularity worldwide mean that each game has the potential to reach a wider audience, and diverse teams can authentically tell stories that reflect the target audiences while bringing attention to societal issues.
Earlier this year, Netflix announced the ten game makers included in its Wings Elevate 2023 accelerator program, all of which have gender diverse development teams. In addition, PocketGamer.biz will be releasing its list of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2023 at the event at Gamescom on August 22.