Two studios have received funding from the German Federal Government's Video Game Funding Programme. This time, the two Berlin-based studios Tarock Interactive and Blue Backpack are being supported.
The German federal government's video game funding programme is set to provide funding to two more studios in Germany.
Blue Backpack, which is based in Berlin, will receive €335,524 for Ballad of the Open Road. The direct project funding period runs from 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2027. Blue Backpack, formerly the games department of the media production company btf, has worked on projects including The Berlin Apartment, Constance and Trüberbrook. This is Blue Backpack's first federal grant.
Berlin-based Tarock Interactive is receiving €157,822 for Taberna. This direct project funding will run from 1 April 2026 to 28 February 2027. The studio is currently working on Lost Legions, a story-driven, open-world survival game featuring mythological elements, which is set after the historic Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Players can build camps, free lost legionaries, defend against tribal raids and explore an ancient Germanic world, either alone or with friends. The word 'Taberna' comes from Latin and means 'tavern'. It is also the origin of the German term 'Taverne'. The funding could therefore benefit Lost Legions. This is the first federal grant for Tarock Interactive.
The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) provides grant funding of up to 50% for the production of video games and the development of prototypes. Depending on the size and evaluation of the project, funding typically starts at €300,000 and is provided as a non-refundable grant covering up to 50% of a project's eligible costs, with a cap of up to €8 million per project for companies that have a registered office, permanent establishment or branch office in Germany. The overall annual budget of the programme has recently increased to over €120 million, further strengthening Germany's role as a video game development hub.
