Join Sabby Co-op

Are you a game dev, artist or dreamer in Naarm?

Sabby could be the place for you!

Since its inception in 2022 as a free coworking, gallery, and event space, Sabby has been a hub of creative activity, launching careers and supporting the growth of studios with real community impact.

Free coworking and meeting spaces, zine workshops, game jams, interstate (and international!) games showcases, makers markets, union organising, boo clubs, beyblade tournaments, movie nights, live performances, private gatherings and parties. All of these happen at Sabby!

• Hosted over 150 events
• Hosted over 200 days of free coworking
• Helped secure hundreds of thousands of dollars for local studios
• Contributed ~100 zines in to zin-o-sphere
• Vanquished over a dozen beyblades in heated tournaments

Does all of this sound too good to be true? That’s because right now, it totally is. But we want to change that!

We're becoming a Co-op

Sabby has persisted by relying on the time, energy and funds of a generous owner as well as your donations. This is predictably not a sustainable future for Sabby, and this model of sole ownership doesn’t reflect our values. We’ve always said Sabby is a place for everyone and now it can finally be owned by everyone.

Join a wholly democratic organisation owned and controlled by its members, for its members. As a co-op, Sabby joins a global movement away from megacorps and big business, toward more sustainable, more transparent, worker and community owned infrastructure.

When the community owns Sabby, the community has the greatest possible say in the shared future of Sabby and our local creative industries.

Member Benefits

• New, bigger building!
• Free rental from our extensive media libraries!
• Free equipment hire!
• Free use of the venue for members' private events!
• Extended access to the new location outside of staffed hours!
• Voting rights and a major say in the future of the space you love!

We Need 100 Members

If we don’t get 100 members before August 16th, and with no other sustainable options, Sabby will be forced to close its doors and say goodbye to the beautiful community that calls Sabby home. However, if we do manage to get at least 100 members, not only can we keep surviving, but we can get a bigger and better building, with which we can do bigger and better things, and provide even better free events and services to the games and arts community in Naarm.

Sabby is looking forward to your support!

We recommend 6 month or more membership as that helps with Sabby's financial stability.

Below is some of the impact Sabby has had on the local industry, and why Sabby deserves support:

Launching careers

Being at Sabby has provided me with opportunities to not only share my work, but also strengthen my connections with the local creative community. From working at Sabby, people are able to see how I work which builds my confidence as a developer and has directly resulted in my first paid job in the games industry. Sabby has given me space to grow as both an individual creator, as well as a valued member in this community. I cannot count how many doors have opened for me because of what Sabby provides, and through Sabby I can open doors for others too.

Participating in Sabby's WIP Nights allows me to present my work amongst like-minded individuals! As a student and emerging game developer, the workspace fosters an environment where I receive valuable feedback in a safe and supportive space.

Supporting studio growth

Finding avenues outside the mainstream to enter into the game development space has always been hard, and you can often feel isolated and siloed. Getting involved with Sabby and participating in their Work In Progress nights has given me the courage to keep developing and sharing my work. Seeing all the game ideas and feedback that people share during those WIP nights has been incredibly fulfilling, which has helped me keep going (and growing) as a creator.

Attending events at Sabby Gallery has made me more aware of the opportunities which exist for local game developers. At a WIP Night I saw Weird Flex Studio discuss their application to VicScreen Originate Games, a development grant which supports local emerging game makers. This was my first time hearing about funding of this kind, and I was inspired to submit my own application to the program. I ended up being successful and received the funding to support development on my first game Brine Pool! This program has gone on to provide me with further advancement opportunities and helped to establish myself and my work within the indie games landscape. My career in games would not be in the place it is if it were not for the opportunities and supporting and open community fostered at Sabby!

Cross industry collaboration

Sabby is both a place and community, and is invaluable to me in bringing collaborative projects to life. Sabby is and has been so important because it provides a place where people can engage with each other, share stories, skills and moments, and build things together. No Scope, a creative collective I started, booked the space for our meetings, workshops and jams to produce a Fantasy Console Showcase for Melbourne International Games Week 2023. Our collective of game devs, students and artists from the Sabby community and another Melbourne artist collective, This is Not a Toy Store, joined forces to put on a hugely successful exhibition of experimental games and imagined consoles. And through the Sabby community we were also able to secure grant funding for this project.

A place to always call home

Having moved from Tasmania, where there was little in the way of spaces for games, Sabby has provided a space and community that makes me feel comfortable creating and talking about my work.

As an indie full-time solo indie developer, one of the things I miss most about working with a team is the social element. Sabby really helps scratch that itch. Every time I have been I always find myself surrounded by wickedly talented creative people from all sorts of different disciplines and backgrounds, it's a great environment to work, network and socialise in.

I love spending time at Sabby, from just chatting to people while idly making a zine to getting feedback for my projects at their WIP nights. It's a great place to connect with other creatives who are passionate about their craft and helping others. Sabby is a very welcoming space that fosters community and creativity.

Read more Testimonials on the impact Sabby has had on the local industry.