UK Games Fund has Put £3m Into Emerging Studios

Within the initiative to further fund the creative industries until 2030, the UK Department of Culture under MP Lucy Frazer has funded 22 games start-ups with 3 million Pounds overall. A further two million Pounds are still available for emerging devs in the structure of the UK Games Fund.

With the discussion about new regulations for the funding of games in Germany coming up, it pays to have a look at the funding situation in other countries. Fittingly, the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport has presented the preliminary results of a new sub-fund inside the UK Games Fund. From a pot of five million Pounds in the funding programme for emerging video game developers and start-up studios, three million Pounds have already gone to 22 different studios. Applications for the other two million Pounds are still open, the Department says. Studios can be funded with values between 50,000 and 150,000 pounds.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Video games are a vital part of this government’s plans to grow the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030. That’s why we are supporting talented new developers to maximise their potential and turn their ideas into the next best-selling, Bafta-winning titles. This funding will help them to secure investment and resources to scale up their businesses and create new jobs. Congratulations to all the recipients.”

The game start-up funding is part of a UK initiative to fund the creative industries with 30 million Pounds overall until 2030.

Maxwell Scott-Slade, Director of Games at funded and BAFTA-nominated studio Glitchers says: “Earning recognition from the UK Games Fund for The Last Eden is a tremendous honour. This award empowers us to expand beyond dementia awareness (with projects like Sea Hero Quest) and delve into the captivating world of biodiversity. The Content Fund’s support allows us to make three crucial hires, which will significantly strengthen our position when negotiating with key partners.”

Katie Goode, Creative Director at funded and BAFTA-nominated studio Triangular Pixels adds: “We’re immensely grateful for the incredible support that has allowed Unseen Diplomacy 2 to become a reality. As a British studio, it’s particularly exciting to see the continued investment in our homegrown games industry. This funding fuels our passion to bring this innovative VR spy experience to life, and we can’t wait to share more updates as development progresses.”

The following is a list of all 22 studios funded through the start-up initiative of UK Games Fund.