diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 4914fe9c75..395e6f322b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "matrix-js-sdk",
-  "version": "0.8.5",
+  "version": "0.9.0-rc.1",
   "description": "Matrix Client-Server SDK for Javascript",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {