The Dundee-based UK Games Fund has just announced the studios which will be receiving a share of the funding offered by round 9 of their process.
Seventeen companies in total have made the list, which includes game developers and game-adjacent companies from across Scotland, England and Wales.
Booster Pack
Each of the 17 companies, who were chosen from over 100 applicants in round 9, will receive grants of up to £25,000 to support the development of their projects.
Highlights include The VR Hive, a Paisley-based company looking to “Transform e-learning through virtual reality”; Different Monster, a UK-based developer working on Macabre Museum, a co-operative horror game set in the British Museum; and Humble Grove, developers of the critically acclaimed adventure No Longer Home.
You can view a full list of the funded companies here.
The Skills to Pay the Bills
This latest round of funding comes courtesy of an £8 million injection of funds by the government for the expansion of the UK Games Fund. This funding will also be used to support the development of skills and talent in the UK games sector.
Dr. Jo Twist, OBE, CEO of Ukie, had this to say of the new funding round: “The UK Games Fund has played an invaluable role in growing our national sector and ensuring that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to make video games.
Its ongoing support for start up games businesses across the country has led to both the creation of captivating video games and real value for the economy in terms of jobs, investment and tax revenues.
We’re pleased that the Government has delivered additional support for our thriving sector and look forward to seeing the great games that emerge from this support in the coming years.”
Dr. Richard Wilson, OBE, echoed this sentiment: “Access to finance is a challenge for many small development studios. The UK Games Fund is a vital intervention which enables start-ups and small studios to develop game prototypes, develop commercial skills and embark upon the path to growth and success. TIGA strongly supports the UKGF. We look forward to seeing how the latest beneficiaries build their businesses and scale-up their studios.”
This kind of large-scale investment in the games sector is great to see, and we’ll be following the progress of the funded projects closely in the months to come. You can learn more about the UK Games Fund on their website here.