Upjers has received funding from the German federal government's video game funding programme. The Bavarian company, which specialises in browser games & apps and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was awarded over €600,000.
Upjers, which is based in Bamberg, has received €643,331 in funding from the German federal government’s video game funding programme for its current project, Free Aqua Zoo Mobile. The funding period runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2029, around two and a half years. This is the third grant that the company has received from federal funds, following grants for Dino Park (€198,506 in 2020) and Mega Monument Constructor (€366,916 from 2021 to 2023).
Upjers was founded in 2006. From its headquarters in Bamberg, the company's teams handle the development, marketing and support of browser games and apps. The company now employs over 100 people. Upjers is best known for Wurzelimperium, My Free Farm, Kapi Hospital and My Free Zoo. The company also develops and markets licensed titles, such as the hidden object game Uptasia and the farm simulation My Little Farmies. Other titles, such as Zoo 2: Animal Park and Horse Farm, were developed in collaboration with external studios.
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.
