[Industry news] ‘It’s Not Me’ PC game announced to support Women in Games

This is a press release posted alongside our usual editorial content.

A princess directed to wait for a knight’s rescue begins to question the future chosen for her in It’s Not Me, a new narrative game announced today by producer and co-writer Francesca Noto. Made entirely pro bono, the project will support the work of Women in Games through its Steam sales.

Everyone involved is donating their time, skills and work across every area of development. The game is the first project from Games Matter, an independent game studio wholly owned by Francesca Noto.

100% of the net profit received from Steam sales of It’s Not Me will be donated to Women in Games.

Set inside an unfinished fictional video game from 1986, It’s Not Me follows a nameless Princess whose purpose has already been decided: to be kidnapped, rescued and given to a knight as the reward for his quest. As she becomes aware of her own existence, she begins to ask who she is beyond that role, what she wants and whether she can shape her own future.

Through exploration, conversations and narrative choices, her journey examines female representation in games, gender stereotypes, objectification and self-determination. There is no combat, no reflex challenge and no puzzle solving; the focus is on the story and its characters.

Francesca Noto, Producer and Co-Writer of It’s Not Me, explained: “We started with a familiar character: the princess whose story belongs to everyone except herself. We wanted to give her the space to ask what she wants, and to explore what happens when the role you have been given no longer feels like your own.”

“This is a small project, made with limited resources by people who are giving their time and skills because the story matters to them. We hope it will mean something to the people who play it, and that the support it generates for Women in Games will help the story reach beyond the game itself.”

Noto, a novelist, journalist, translator and founder of GameLoc Academy, brings her experience in games and localisation to the project. She is introducing It’s Not Me and its first short teaser during her panel at The Games Forum Roma, organised by Structura and Women in Games at Villa Mondragone in Frascati, near Rome.

Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, offered: “Who gets to have a voice, make choices and shape their own story matters, both in games and in the industry that creates them. It’s Not Me explores those questions through a character we all recognise, but whose own wishes have so often been overlooked. We are grateful to Francesca and everyone giving their time and skills to this project. Their generosity and commitment to supporting Women in Games will help our work in making games a fairer place for all.”