Paintbucket Games Develops Game for Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb)

The German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) has selected Paintbucket Games to develop a game for the project 'Demokratieraum. Die "Landshut" in Friedrichshafen' with a volume of €400,000. 41 studios took part in the tender.

The German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) has selected Paintbucket Games to develop a game as part of the 'Demokratieraum. "Die Landshut" in Friedrichshafen' project, which was put out to tender in March 2024. The €400,000 funding will go to the Berlin studio known for Through the Darkest of Times, Beholder 3 and the upcoming The Darkest Files.

Paintbucket Games was selected over 40 other studios in a multi-stage selection process, which required the submission of a playable prototype as well as rough and detailed concepts. A jury consisting of bpb staff and experts from the games industry evaluated the basic game idea in terms of game mechanics, narrative and audiovisual design, as well as the mediation and implementation concept. The entries were anonymised before being assessed by the jury. "The great interest in the call for entries and the high quality of the submissions show that game development studios are very interested in combining a game-based approach with aspects of political education in a creative and innovative way," writes the Federal Agency for Civic Education.

The bpb is breaking new ground in political education by commissioning the development of a game on a large scale for the first time. The planned digital game will deal with current socio-political issues.

In early 2025, the Berlin-based game development studio will begin production on "6 Weeks" (working title), a historical crisis simulation game from the perspective of the security authorities during the "German Autumn" at the end of 1977. The mix of fictional characters and real historical events is intended to raise questions about the ethical and legal dimensions of state security measures in a liberal society in times of crisis.

At the end of 2020, the bpb received a mandate from the German Bundestag to make the Lufthansa aircraft 'Landshut', which was hijacked by terrorists in 1977, publicly accessible and to integrate it into educational contexts. The game will be part of the (analogue and digital) educational package that the bpb is developing in parallel with the planned opening of the learning centre in Friedrichshafen in 2026.

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