A total of 13 games projects will receive 1.68 million euros in funding from the Bavarian Film Fund (FFF Bayern). In this context, Bavaria's Digital Minister Mehring warns that "the budget fiasco of the federal government should not be carried on the back of the games scene".

The FFF Bayern funding committee met yesterday for the first time this year and recommended 13 projects for funding. The total amount of funding is 1.68 million euros. Over one million euros will go towards producing four new games, over 570,000 euros towards developing five prototypes and 90,000 euros towards developing four concepts. Three of the games that will now go into production with FFF funding have already been supported by the FFF Bayern in the concept and/or prototype development phase. The projects are developed by studios in Munich, Erlangen, Garching, Reichenberg, Bayreuth, Mering, Nuremberg, Würzburg, Wörth and Augsburg.

Bavaria's Minister for Digital Affairs, Dr Fabian Mehring, explains: "The architects of the digital worlds of the future come from all parts of Bavaria. This once again underlines the regional diversity and the enormous potential of our local games industry. Bavaria's developers are an important economic factor for the state and are at the forefront of shaping social change and digital transformation. They are creative drivers of innovation and thus true pixel pioneers, whose successful work is generating a huge tailwind for the digital revolution".

Mehring combined the announcement of Bavaria's record funding with an clear appeal to the Federal Government: "It is a veritable scandal that the industry cannot rely on the federal government and that the stopped federal games funding is currently fundamentally slowing down the industry. As the Free State of Bavaria, we are therefore deliberately making a larger budget available for the current round of funding than ever before in order to prevent the federal government from completely failing to provide funding at the expense of the games industry. Of course, this will not work in the long run. The Free State cannot fill all the holes that the federal government has blown in the federal budget. That's why I'm combining the renewed increase in our Bavarian funding with a clear appeal to Berlin: the federal government urgently needs to get its funding back on track so that more major projects in Germany can be reliably financed and developed - better yesterday than today and definitely before the end of this year."

The highest funding amount is 450,000 euros for "The Choices We Make" by Jumpy Bit. The game is a game development simulation that aims to bring to life the process of game development with all its ups and downs. Boxelware, known for "Avorion", will receive 373,500 euros for "Aquapark Tycoon", in which players develop and manage their own water park with customizable slides, sports, fun and wellness facilities. Aesir Interactive will receive 180,000 euros for the prototype development of "Gyros" (working title). A mixture of "Dorfromantik" and "Loop Hero" will be "Knights of Memoria", a simulation whose prototype is being developed by Munich-based studio Chimera Entertainment and will receive 160,000 euros.

Production
  • 450,000 euros for "The Choices We Make" by Jumpy Bit in Munich - a simulation about game development
  • 373,500 euros for "Aquapark Tycoon" by Boxelware from Erlangen - a tycoon game about swimming baths
  • 113,000 euros for "EcoGnomix" by Irox Games from Garching near Munich - a roguelite strategy and city-building game
  • 83,000 euros for "Once Upon A Tile" by KnotHorn Studio from Reichenberg - a turn-based dungeon puzzle game
Prototype development
  • 180,000 euros for "Gyros" (working title) by Aesir Interactive from Munich - an open world adventure in the 19th century
  • 160,000 euros for "Knights of Memoria" by Chimera Entertainment from Munich - building strategy simulation with references to "Dorfromantik" and "Loop Hero"
  • 100,000 euros for "Nordheim Survivor" by Blossom Path Games from Bayreuth - Action-Roguelike / Survivors-Like
  • 79,854 euros for "TrainTastic" (working title) by Emergo Entertainment from Bayreuth - non-violent and humorous rogue-lite tactics game
  • 53,550 euros for "Raven Z" by Lucas Bernhard & Tobias Huber / Sleepy Mole Game from Augsburg - 3D platformer
Concept development
  • 30,000 euros for "Packing Orders" by Gentle Troll Entertainment from Würzburg - Wholesome puzzle game with narrative elements
  • 20,000 euros for "Interdimensional Mailmen" by Davide Maria Emanuel Cocchiara and Giovanni Cocchiara / Abduct Media from Nuremberg - VR simulator/puzzle/resource management game
  • 20,000 euros for "Kingshand" by Lich Again Games from Wörth - strategic card game
  • 20,000 euros for "Fell Out" by Wanderstar from Mering - 3D open-world exploration with a focus on narrative, crafting and puzzles

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Written by

Marcel Kleffmann
Marcel Kleffmann