Gaming Community Helps Fund Critical Aid for Ukraine

On March 18 in San Francisco, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 development team, together with the Leleka Foundation and GameDev Under Bombs, hosted the Support Ukraine charity event and auction. In partnership with the Con-Spire community gathering and sponsored by Perfect Day Games, Room8, and Remangu, the event brought together over 100 attendees, most of whom were game developers attending the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025, the world’s premier event for game creators.

Gaming Community Joins Forces to Support Leleka Foundation and Ukrainian game developers who are now defending Ukraine and the free world on the front

“This year, it was more important than ever for the Ukrainian gaming community to be present at Game Developers Conference,” said Olga Sheverieva, Business Development Consultant and event co-organizer. “The gaming industry is a vital part of Ukraine’s economy, and many of the world’s most famous games have been developed with the help of Ukrainian teams. Despite the immense challenges our nation faces daily, we wanted to show that Ukraine is still open for business—and that great games are still being made.”

The key guests of the events - Maria and Yevgen Hryhorovych, the creators of the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

The event’s key guests were Maria and Yevgen Hryhorovych, the creators of the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, which was released in November 2024 and dedicated to Ukraine’s defenders in the ongoing war.

The goal of the event and auction was to support Ukrainian frontline medics and game developers who are now defending the free world. Among the unique auction items were a lunch with Yevgen Hryhorovych, a hat painted in the traditional Ukrainian folk style known as Petrykivka, and a collectible vinyl edition of League of Legends: Selected Orchestral Works by the Riot Music Team.

Vadim Geshel, President of the Leleka Foundation, expressed the gratitude to the gaming community for its unwavering support of Leleka and Ukraine

As a result, the Leleka Foundation raised $4000 to aid Ukrainian medics and defenders. “This was a wonderful opportunity to present our mission,” said Vadim Geshel, Leleka’s president. “We were grateful to see a full house of game developers from all over the world come together to support Ukraine. We received countless words of encouragement, made valuable new connections, and raised several thousand dollars for frontline medics through the charity auction. We are deeply thankful to our sponsors for making this possible.”