Arcjam 2026 update: Arcweave now sole organizer
IGDA Game Writing SIG steps back from Arcjam partnership
The IGDA Game Writing SIG announced they are stepping back from co-organizing this year's Arcjam with us, as they no longer want to partner with tools that include generative AI features. You can read their statement on their blog.
We're sad to part ways, but we respect their decision. The Arcjam has always been a volunteer-run collaboration: we're grateful for all the time the SIG gave to this and last year's jam, and we're proud of the wonderful narrative work it brought together.
Arcjam 2026 is still happening in the same period, November 20–23, with the same rules and judging process, and Arcweave is now running it as the sole organizer.
If you've joined Arcjam 2026, you're all set: no need to re-register or confirm anything.
Why we're going ahead
After looking at some alternatives (including running the jam without Arcweave as the required tool), we decided the best way to go forward would be to run the jam. It starts in a few days, and more than 200 people are already preparing for one built around Arcweave; changing the tool and the rules this late would have been unfair to them. So we're keeping the jam everyone signed up for.
Info for the jam's participants
Schedule and organization
The jam runs as planned, from November 20, 17:00 UTC to November 23, 17:00 UTC.
All registrations stand, and the rules and judging process stay the same. Arcweave is now organizing the jam, and several volunteers from the original organizing team are staying on to run it with us. From here on, announcements will come through Arcweave's socials and Discord server.
Make sure you've joined the Arcweave Discord to stay up to date with all jam announcements and news!
On generative AI
Arcweave offers optional AI features, which can be completely disabled and will be switched off for all Arcjam workspaces, as they were last year.
Moreover, the jam's rules ban generative AI in every part of a submission: writing, art, audio and code. We agreed on this with the SIG for both last and this year's run of the jam, and it the rule stays in place. The Arcjam exists to showcase human writing and narrative design, and that's the jam we're running. You can read more about our approach to AI here.
Judges and prizes
We're contacting judges and prize sponsors individually and will be updating the jam page accordingly. We are glad the SIG plans to run its own jam some time next year, and we'll be cheering it on.
Join the jam
This isn't the week before the jam any of us had planned. But the reason we run Arcjam 2026 hasn't changed: it is still and always about all of you spending a weekend making something you're proud of.
If you haven't joined already, make sure to do so on the jam's itch.io page:
See you on the 20th. Go make something great!
