Four studios have received funding from the German federal government's video game funding programme. These are Fiery Things, Tivola Games, TML Edition and Travian Games. A total of almost two million euros was awarded.
The German federal government's video game funding programme is set to provide funding to a further four studios in Germany.
Tivola Games has received €776,317 in funding for the project titled Horse Range Manager. The direct project funding runs from 15 March 2026 to 14 June 2027. This is the third grant for the Hamburg-based studio, which specialises in family-friendly video games for PC and console: My Cat Rescue received €317,591, and Petventures received €200,000.
€670,397 has been awarded to Munich-based Travian Games for "Generäle und Statthalter – Meta-Progression und Season Pass System" (Generals and Governors – Meta-Progression and Season Pass System). The studio, which focuses on browser and mobile games, is currently working on an as-yet-unannounced project that could be "Generäle und Statthalter" — or they may be implementing a meta-progression and season pass system in one of their live games. Direct project funding will run from 15 March 2026 to 14 June 2027. This is the company's second grant, following €1,042,054 for Travian: Legends Mobile.
TML Edition, which is based in Erfurt, has received €432,214 for "Tourist Bus Simulator – Mallorca". This direct project funding will run from 01 May 2026 to 31 July 2028. This is the third grant received by the company, which is renowned for its bus simulations. Previous grants include Fernbus Simulator – DLC Poland (€138,070) and a “post-apocalyptic survival game” (€200,000).
For Fiery Things, this is the first grant from federal funds. The Gräfelfing-based studio is receiving €184,723 for Asteroid Cruises Inc. The direct project funding runs from 15 March 2026 to 14 May 2027. They describe the game as "Islanders meets Bad North in space". This VR/MR game features base building and mini real-time tactics with some roguelite elements. Players take on the role of an underpaid middle manager and must build and defend tourism bases on asteroids against space pirates.
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.
