Class dismissed?
Will The Game Awards be inducting a new "Future Class" in 2024?
That's a question on developers' minds after a post on Bluesky by developer and IGDA board of director member Nazih Fares made the rounds this week. With less than a month until the hours-long smorgasbord of trailers and hastily-delivered game of the year awards, developers are used to seeing some indication of who this year's Future Class might be. As Fares pointed out, there haven't been any announcements, call for nominations, or application process rolled out for a Future Class of 2024.
So is the Future Class program wrapped up? No, but it does not seem there will be any honorees at this year's ceremony. In a statement to Game Developer, Future Class organizer Emily Bouchac explained that the organization is "currently focused on providing value to [its] existing class in and around TGA this year," adding that the organization will "evaluate next steps for the program after this year's show."
Bouchac did not explicitly confirm or deny if there would be a 2024 Future Class cohort.
The Game Awards began recognizing the Future Class of game developers and advocates who represent "a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify the artform of gaming and whose passion makes the industry stronger" starting in 2020.
Inductees have been recognized annually in an onstage ceremony, with some spotlighted in video segments sponsored by companies like Old Spice. Outside of the ceremony, they were also promised resources and networking opportunities with each other and prominent developers in the game industry.
But with no Future Class of 2024 in sight, its participants are left wondering where the celebration has gone—and what does it mean for the kinds of developers it promised to help?
When Fares first pointed out the absence of news about the Future Class, some speculated that the silence had something to do with last year's protest by Future Class alumni and members about The Game Awards' decision to not make any statement about Israel's invasion of Gaza after the October 7 attack by Hamas. Future Class alumni had called on the Awards to plea for a ceasefire. Keighley and his cohosts did not acknowledge the conflict during the broadcast.
That doesn't seem to be the case. The lack of a 2024 Future Class may have to do with another lesser-known protest about the program that hasn't risen to the public eye: one pleading with the organization to do more for Future Class inductees and alumni.
In a meeting with Geoff Keighley and Bouchac in December 2023, members reportedly gave a presentation on how they've felt underserved by an initiative meant to celebrate the "bright future" of the video game industry. The presentation discussed inadequate accommodations at the awards ceremony and a lack of opportunities for alumni after the spotlights faded away.
Sources familiar with the online meeting (who requested anonymity to speak freely to protect their careers) said Keighley and Bouchac were receptive to feedback, and seemed interested in improving the program.
A copy of the presentation reviewed by Game Developer spelled out the specific complaints raised by inductees, and proposed a number of possible solutions.
A large segment of the presentation addressed what seemed to be a negative experience for Future Class inductees and alumni attending the award ceremony in Los Angeles. Attendee ADA requests at last year's event allegedly weren't "honored," meaning some members with disabilities struggled to see the show. Alumni were apparently seated in segments of the Microsoft Theater where the view was blocked by camera rigs and equipment (those affected were reimbursed by The Game Awards for their tickets), and the only official networking event was a surprisingly informal "meetup" before the ceremony where Game Awards representatives only briefly attended, reportedly departing after photos were taken. The presentation alleges that Keighley did not make a personal appearance.
Members raised the fact that though the Future Class segment is sponsored by advertisers, there is no funding for them to travel to the event, leaving some honorees to watch at home. They also expressed disappointment over the lack of diversity among presenters onstage, such as the accessibility award not being revealed by a disabled presenter.
Complaints were also raised about the lack of compensation for Future Class alumni who labor for the organization by mentoring new members, but weren't offered tickets to the awards themselves as part of their work. They're only offered a discount for purchasing their own tickets which according to ticketing site AXS, run anywhere from $50 to $500.
Presenters speaking to Keighley and Bouchac apparently expressed concern over the quality of support and resources offered to Future Class inductees after the the Game Awards spotlight fades. These resources include Unreal and Unity workshops, unpaid mentoring by previous Future Class nominees, and a slim amount of other opportunities. International inductees faced additional hurdles, as online events would sometimes be held in conflicting time zones.
When asked about the presentation, Bouchac told Game Developer that the Future Class program regularly seeks feedback from inductees, and that while there is "always room to improve," a summer survey of participants showed the initiative and its benefits "improved" in 2024, with almost all saying the program was delivering on what it promised at the outset in January.
"One-fifth of the 2023 class [ranked] the program as a 10/10 experience," she said.
Multiple Future Class inductees we spoke with praised the work the organization has done in the last year after the presentation. They explained the new resources and connections with industry veterans felt helpful—though there may still be some improvements to be made. "It did genuinely seem like they were trying to take the feedback into account," one 2023 cohort member explained, praising the survey described by Bouchac.
This individual's only complaint had to do with how The Game Awards has celebrated Future Class members this year on social media. A well-intentioned series of celebratory posts on X (formerly Twitter) were regularly mobbed by users spreading harassment. This followed the site's increasingly lax approach to content moderation and a growing right-wing backlash to efforts at promoting diversity in games that exploded earlier in 2024. The Game Awards has since restricted replies on these posts.
Future Class organizers apparently responded quickly to concerns raised by alumni over a lack of mentorship opportunities. Earlier in the year, they established a new networking program to support Future Class members and connect them with industry peers.
Some Future Class inductees have apparently greatly benefitted from this initiative, but others have reportedly had lackluster experiences, leaving them with just a few meetings with developers sometimes not skilled in mentoring junior developers. One source who participated in the mentorship process said they were frustrated by its limited structure, and that it wasn't as robust as those run by other professional organizations, like Academy of Interactive Arts and Science's Scholarship program.
Multiple sources also confirmed to Game Developer that The Game Awards is hosting a two-hour "connections mixer" before this year's ceremony with industry professionals and Future Class members from the 2023 cohort, but it's not branded as a Future Class-focused event. 2023 inductees have also been offered free tickets to this year's show and a compensated hotel room. These accommodations for members of last year's cohort appear to be a significant change from what was offered before.
A 2023 class member told Game Developer they've appreciated the resources offered this year (praising "the free tickets, industry talks, and promotional opportunities") but offered a slightly cynical view of the program's mission. "I know this whole thing is just to launder The Game Awards' reputation so it doesn't look as disgustingly corporate as it is," they said. "But if they're taking advantage of me I at least like that I'm also taking advantage of them."
Beyond the mentorship program and a Substack newsletter maintained by Future Class alumni, there seems to have been little communication from The Game Awards about the future of Future Class. Bouchac's response to Game Developer implies the program is still active, but she didn't directly state if a new class of inductees would be introduced at this year's ceremony.
The concerns expressed by Future Class alumni in 2023 and the ensuing slim communication raise uncomfortable questions about the program. Is The Game Awards offering enough support to the Future Class organizers in order to support the diverse group of rising developers inducted into the program?
For now it appears the answer will have to wait until 2025.
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