Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has announced the launch of Frame1Games, a new initiative to fund, accelerate, and market independent games. The program pairs multi-million-dollar capital investment with a yearlong accelerator, giving developers mentorship from industry veterans and CAA executives and direct access to the partners and vendors needed to bring a game to market.
“Independent developers are doing some of the most exciting work in games right now, often with little backing,” said Derek Douglas, CAA’s head of games, in a press release. “Frame1Games helps standout creators navigate what it takes to get a game made and launched today through capital, industry relationships, and a direct line to partners who can turn a great idea into a lasting studio. The industry’s changing fast, and we want to make sure the emerging voices shaping what’s next have real support behind them.”
Each year, Frame1Games will back a cohort of independent projects with the capital and guidance needed to advance production towards release. Selected developers receive financing alongside strategic guidance across media, marketing, partnership, and distribution. During the program, cohort games will have the opportunity to be showcased within a curated marketplace, connecting participating developers with partners across games and entertainment, including financiers, distributors, and publishers.
Starting in 2027, Frame1Games will support its cohort titles with flagship marketing to drive awareness at industry-leading events such as Summer Game Fest in June and The Game Awards in December, placing these independent titles alongside the industry’s most celebrated talent and the year’s most anticipated titles.
With more than 10,000 independent titles released annually on Steam alone, discoverability has become one of the industry’s greatest challenges, making strategic partnerships and visibility as critical to success as the game itself. Frame1Games aims to build on CAA’s three decades representing developers and studios across the industry, including Respawn, Obsidian, Turtle Rock Studios, AdHoc Studio, and Strange Scaffold.
Frame1Games will be led by Jared Yeager, a production and developer relations executive with more than two decades of experience in the video game industry. In his role, Yeager, along with a board of experts, will oversee the program, advise participating developers, and build out the mentor network, while cultivating strategic industry partnerships and guiding each cohort from development through commercialization.
Xalavier Nelson Jr., founder of Strange Scaffold, the independent studio behind titles including El Pasa, Elsewhere and I Am Your Beast, will serve as one of the many mentors of the Frame1Games program, providing participating developers with hands-on guidance in game design, storytelling, production, and creative strategy, and helping them refine their vision to successfully bring their games to market.
“We can all see that current models of funding and studio support are not serving developers or consistently bringing players great games. I’m excited to be a mentor for the program as Frame1Games brings a fresh, much-needed perspective to the space,” said Nelson Jr, in the same press release.
Independent developers can apply to become part of Frame1Games’ first cohort at frame1games. The website provides specifics on the overall program, application process, selection criteria, and more.