The UK Games Fund (UKGF) has recently allocated over £3 million in government funding to support emerging video game developers and start-up studios. This funding aims to assist these companies in scaling their businesses, promoting the creation of new British games, and fostering innovation in the gaming industry.
As part of this initiative, grants of up to £150,000 will be provided to 22 promising game companies. These grants will enable the companies to expand their teams, secure publishing agreements, and attract additional private investment. Notable recipients of this funding include GLITCHERS and Triangular Pixels, who plan to utilize the funds to develop innovative video games.
GLITCHERS will be using their grant to create ‘The Last Eden’, a game set in the Congo Basin rainforests, while Triangular Pixels will focus on developing ‘Unseen Diplomacy 2’, a virtual reality spy game.
This funding falls under the umbrella of the Creative Industries Sector Vision, which includes an additional £5 million investment in the UK Games Fund (UKGF) to establish a new Content Fund. This brings the total government investment in the UKGF between 2022 and 2025 to £13.4 million.
Boosting the UK Economy Through Gaming
The UK’s culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, recognizes the importance of video games in the government’s plans to grow the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030. By supporting new developers, the government aims to unleash their potential and transform their ideas into successful, award-winning titles.
The CEO and founder of UK Games Talent and Finance, Paul Durrant OBE, expressed enthusiasm for this growth-focused funding. He emphasized the opportunity to support companies at a later stage in their journey, providing larger-scale grants that can unlock additional leverage and contribute significantly to the early-stage games development ecosystem in the UK.
Since its inception in 2015, the UKGF has invested over £13 million in 450 developers and studios, including Bafta winners like Roll7. The UKGF offers grants of up to £30,000 to upcoming developers and supports graduate talent through programs like DunDev and Tranzfuser. Game companies in the UK can still apply for grants from the £5 million Content Fund.
