SLICE 2026, Seattle Indies' annual B2B conference for indie and double-A game developers, expects to draw more than 1,100 attendees when it convenes on September 2 at Seattle's McCaw Hall — a 20 percent increase over the inaugural event's 900-plus attendees.

That scale-up lands alongside an expanded program. Organizers have added a new track and a second floor of programming inside the opera house venue, and they are running a half-price ticket discount for recently laid-off developers on an honor-system basis.

"It's bigger: 20 percent more people expected, 20 percent more tracks," Seattle Indies vice president Ty Taylor said in an interview with GamesBeat. "We have another entire track, another floor of this giant opera house — just more."

Why half-price tickets for laid-off workers?

The discount directly responds to a year of layoffs at triple-A and indie studios alike. Discounted passes already account for roughly 10 percent of ticket sales, Taylor said, with no promo code required — laid-off developers simply purchase at half price and self-attest.

Conference co-organizer Olga Sheverieva framed the layoffs as the driving context for this year's program.

"We are seeing even more layoffs, and even more people are very confused about what to do next with their careers," Sheverieva said. "For a lot of those people, starting their own company is basically an alternative career path — and sometimes not even an alternative career path. Sometimes, it's the only career path in order for them to stay in the industry."

Seattle Indies board member Jon Kimmich added in a written statement: "In the tumultuous time our industry is going through, it is local, targeted events like SLICE that bring our development community together. Sharing wisdom, pain, knowledge, technique and hope."

What does SLICE 2026 tell laid-off developers about going indie?

Organizers pushed back on the idea that indie game development is an easy landing spot for redundant triple-A staff. Dedicated sessions address that perception, with speakers including Dragon Snacks Games CEO Jen MacLean.

"We know that indies are not going to replace 10,000 jobs; this is not a thing that can happen," co-organizer Tim Cullings said. "But we will keep the people who want to be here, and do what we can to support them."

Cullings positioned SLICE within what he described as Seattle Indies' "three-pillar strategy" developed over the last few years:

• Build a leading industry conference for indie studios
• Establish a physical space for Seattle Indies
• Help launch a professional association for indie game developers

How significant is Washington's game industry?

Sheverieva cited figures from the Washington State Department of Commerce placing the state second in the U.S. for commercial gaming revenue, with roughly $14 billion generated annually and more than 27,000 jobs supported by the sector.

Local indie and double-A studios operating in Washington include:

• PlayEveryWare
• Mega Crit Games
• Aggro Crab
• QAG

Cullings said the conference aims to mobilize founders as advocates for the sector.

"We need these founders who are coming to SLICE to also be putting their voices behind it, because the Valves and the Microsofts don't need that kind of support — they have an army of lawyers and lobbyists — but indies and double-A studios certainly do," Cullings said.

What to watch next?

The September 2 event will test whether the 20 percent attendance uplift holds and whether the honor-system discount draws the expected share of laid-off developers into the program. Seattle Indies' parallel push for a dedicated physical space and a new professional indie association remains the longer-term signal worth tracking as the broader employment picture in games firms up through the second half of 2026.